Divya Meena
Based on the book titled ‘In the Blink of an Eye: Forgiveness in Black and White’ by J.T. and Terri Lee Clark, ‘My Brothers’ Crossing’ is about a real-life story between C.J. Martin and J.T. Clark. The movie tells the story of a tragic accident that took place in August 2015. In remote southwest Virginia, an African-American man is involved in a horrific accident which unfortunately claims the lives of Bobby and Pam Clark, a Caucasian couple. What ensues is a heartfelt story of grief, healing, and incredible forgiveness in the wake of this tragedy.
‘My Brothers’ Crossing’ encapsulates the immense power that emerges from replacing hurt and resentment with healing and freedom. In trying times, such as these, the movie encourages the audience to leave an indelible mark of humanity behind as a legacy. For this list, we’ve chosen movies, which hit home run based on the empathy and benevolence shown in the storylines. You can most of these films on Netflix, Hulu, or Amazon Prime.
5. Lady Bird (2017)
‘Lady Bird’ can be best described as a coming of age story of Christine Lady Bird McPherson (played by Saoirse Ronan), a teenage girl who’s going through a lot of ups and downs as she’s trying to figure herself out during her senior year of high school. These rites of passage checkpoints include her falling in love for the first time, coming to terms with her family’s financial status, trying to fit in with a bunch of mean-popular kids, testing friendships, experiencing her first heartbreak, and last but not the least, coming to realize the importance her mother bears in her life despite driving each other up the wall.
While the movie touches on many themes of adulthood, the most prominent is the importance of forgiveness – between the mother-daughter duo, her best friend, and her first boyfriend.
4. Wonder (2017)
‘Wonder’ is a profound story of a ten-year-old Auggie Pullman (played by Jacob Tremblay) who’s born with a craniofacial condition known as Treacher Collins syndrome. The film adaptation of R.J. Palacio’s best-selling novel, ‘Wonder’ lets the audience in on what being born with disfigurement entails and how formative of an experience it can be growing up.
Auggie has had to undergo nearly 30 surgeries and is deeply loved and cared for by his family. The decision of entering fifth grade at a mainstream prep school proves itself to be an immense challenge as he has only had homeschooling his whole childhood. Over the course of time, his new classmates and faculty members discover their compassion and acceptance once they get to know him. Soon he realizes that he is every bit the same as any other kid, in every manner possible. The love shown here doesn’t take stock of physical appearances one bears and thus tying in with the theme of the list.
3. Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri (2017)
Primarily, ‘Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri’ tells the story of the protests and fight a mother, Mildred Hayes (played by Frances McDormand, who won an Oscar for her brilliant performance here), put up against the police officials, when they fail to so much as potential suspects seven months after her daughter’s been raped and murdered. As the movie progresses and her approach catches on, we see a police officer, Jason Dixon (played by Sam Rockwell) shift his attitude from being a ruthless cop to one of the officials who take the matters in his hands. The character dynamic between these two is touching beyond words, as they band together to serve justice to Haye’s daughter.
2. The Boy in the Striped Pajamas (2008)
Based on John Boyne’s 2006 novel of the same name, ‘The Boy in the Striped Pajamas’ is a hauntingly beautiful and touching movie that tells the story of an eight-year-old named Bruno (played by Asa Butterfield) who strikes a deep friendship with a Jewish boy he meets across the fence. Set in the Holocaust, the movie is an arresting watch as we see these two kids seeing the world through their innocent eyes which know no such things like hatred, boundaries, and divisions.
1. Jojo Rabbit (2019)
Written and directed by Taika Waititi, ‘Jojo Rabbit’ on the whole is a high-wire satire at its finest, which successfully and hysterically upholds the abuses, irrationalities, and shortcomings of World War II, to give everyone a chance to reflect on their actions. Jojo (played by Roman Griffin Davis) is a young Nazi boy with an imaginary friend Adolf Hitler (played by Taika) he built up inside his head based on his beliefs, whose mother (played by Scarlett Johansson) is providing shelter to a Jewish teenaged girl (played by Thomasin McKenzie) in their home.
Over time, as Jojo strikes a friendship with the girl, Jojo is forced to face the blind nationalism and hollow beliefs that have been inculcated in his mind throughout his childhood. The overarching theme here is the boundless power of love and humanity above anything else in the world, which places it atop this list.
Read More: 7 Movies Like Jojo Rabbit You Must See
