Hope in Cinema: Best Films to Watch When it Feels Like the World is Ending

Since, like many of us, I've been feeling hopeless and lost lately, here are some films that inspire empathy, hope, and love. Emphasis on hope. Because that's the make-or-break in a lot of our mental health battles at the moment.

1. THE TREE OF LIFE, dir. Terrence Malick (2011)

"Love everyone. Every ray of light. Every leaf. Forgive."

For teaching me that the world is a collective, and everything on our planet is deserving of love. Rent on Amazon Video for $3.99.

2. PIERROT LE FOU, dir. Jean-Luc Godard (1965)

"Look at the sea, the waves, the sky...life may be sad, but it's always beautiful."

For teaching me that life can be colorful and exciting, even when your world is in chaos. Rent on Amazon Video for $3.99.

3. NIGHTS OF CABIRIA, dir. Federico Fellini (1957)

"Loneliness is a heavy burden, but I'd rather be alone than make compromises."

For teaching me that life is often lonely, and to walk it alone is courageous. And we should never stop wanting the best for ourselves. Stream on the Criterion Channel, or rent on Amazon Video for $3.99.

4. THE LONG DAY CLOSES, dir. Terence Davies (1991)

"Can I go to the pictures?"

For teaching me that the cinema is always here for us in the darkest of times, and the cinema offers us direct contact with the human soul. Stream on the Criterion Channel.

5. DAISIES, dir. Vera Chytilova (1966)

"Life is long and we are young."

For teaching me that rules don't matter, and we'll live a better life if we do whatever the fuck we want to. Stream on the Criterion Channel or Kanopy, or rent on iTunes for $3.99.