I watched 281 movies in 2024, and most of them were like this: 🤏, but every once in a while one of them was like this: 🤌. 

Here are five movies that resonated with me and that I think other people my age would find meaningful. These are not necessarily movies that are directly relevant to high schoolers, but they are entertaining and philosophically sound in ways that would be relatable to most teenagers. I also tried to pick movies not everyone has already seen, but not strictly because I couldn’t pass up Good Will Hunting.

Listed in no particular order:

The Graduate (1967)

A movie about direction and expectations. The protagonist, Benjamin, was put through the education system and came out the other side feeling empty and unmotivated. The opening shot of the film shows Ben on a literal conveyor belt, being thrust towards his future without reigns or sovereignty. For the next hour and forty minutes, you will continue to be met with endless visual metaphors and clever analogs that come together to paint a darkly comedic portrait of a character who is as intolerable as he is relatable.

The Graduate is a product of the unfortunately brief New Hollywood (or American New Wave) movement of the ’70s and ’80s, wherein studios started taking more risks and edgy young directors were given the resources to tell genre-challenging, subversive, and usually pretty controversial stories. you’ve probably heard of other movies from this era such as Bonnie and Clyde, The Deer Hunter, or The Producers. These movies are defined by their outrageous subject matter and striking arty visuals. The context and environment in which The Graduate was released is relevant because the movie cleverly uses this environment and the traits of New Hollywood to mirror and punctuate the story, which is, at its core, about escaping convention.

“(The Graduate) revolutionized Hollywood decision-making over which movies got made, how they were cast and to whom they were marketed. Today, the film seems as subversive as it was 50 years ago, just in different ways.” (Alec Scott)

As a movie, The Graduate is the complete package, it has aged as gracefully as a movie from the 70s can. Nichols’ striking use of framing and masterful composition would go on to directly inspire filmmakers like Wes Anderson and Jared Hess, as well as have huge ripple effects throughout the industry. The iconic soundtrack by Simon and Garfunkel has proved itself to be timeless and occupied a place in culture beyond that of The Graduate itself. Dustin Hoffman’s subtly comedic and uncomfortable performance in his first major role would solidify him as a key player in New Hollywood and beyond.

Donnie Darko (2001)

This was the hardest spot to pick for me, it actually breaks my unwritten rule of not including movies that take place in a school to avoid conflation with a ‘Best School Movies’ list. I knew I needed a loner movie; the loner archetype is one of the most vital parts of the high school experience, and many movies do a great job with fish-out-of-water stories. I originally considered the much more light-hearted, but still great, Napoleon Dynamite, for this spot on the list, but it just didn’t feel right including a movie that is so boldly about going to school, whereas Donnie Darko isn’t really about school as much as it is about being young in general.

I eventually settled on Darko, not just because it is a great movie about identity, loneliness, mental illness, and fear but also because it makes this list feel much more well-rounded, both genre-wise and era-wise. I mean, seriously, I don’t think I could forgive myself for putting another ‘60s movie on this list, let alone actually expect anyone to want to watch it. Besides, no definitive must-watch movies list can go without a horror film; that would just be sad.

Donnie Darko follows a schizophrenic and mentally troubled teenager, who, after his near miss with a fatal accident, is told by a man in a rabbit suit that the world will end in 28 days. The movie takes place in the exaggerated town of Middlesex, Virginia, it really goes out of its way to highlight the contrivances and headaches of being a teenager in a small town through the lens of Donnie, which lends itself to uncomfortable and comedic moments all throughout the film. The world is meticulously crafted in a way that makes even the most ridiculous scenarios and social satire feel somehow relatable or grounded in the context of Middlesex.

Donnie Darko is brought up as one of the prime examples of cult cinema, usually movies that were either poorly promoted or otherwise underperformed, that eventually went on to gain more acclaim or attention through word of mouth. 

“Although Donnie Darko became a ‘box office bomb’, it eventually made its money back; making just over 7 million dollars globally after budgeting on production at 4 million. However, when the film was released on DVD, it began to receive cultural attention… eventually bringing in over $10 million in sales.” (Henshall)

2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)

2001 is probably the movie that seems the most out of place here. At first glance, it doesn’t appear to have anything to say about school or growing up in general. But Kubrick’s multi-genre masterpiece isn’t just a story about technology, or what it means to be alive, it is a film I think everyone can find something about themselves in. A movie so vast and well-crafted that the standard of quality it set will remain for the foreseeable future of space movies and movies in general.

2001: A Space Odyssey was released in 1968, that’s a year before we landed on the moon, 5 years before Skylab was constructed, and almost 5 decades before artificial intelligence would be able to form cohesive sentences. But it isn’t a movie that lucked its way into having aged perfectly, it is a genuine work of genius that designed a world so real and so detailed that it refuses to date itself beyond the most superficial things. The set pieces and fear that made 2001 so special in the ‘60s have only become more effective and powerful as time has moved closer to them.

Most of 2001 follows a group of astronauts who embark on a spaceflight to investigate a strange rectangular monolith discovered on Jupiter. The expedition quickly devolves as the onboard supercomputer starts to malfunction in bizarre ways. It’s hard to write a synopsis of 2001 without delving into analysis, theory, or spoiler territory, the movie goes on to explore life, death, evolution, higher powers, and the dichotomy between creator and creation. The first time you watch 2001, you might walk away from it feeling slightly confused, but that’s part of the fun. Kubrick was able to say in so many pictures what people have struggled to put into any certain words for the 56 years since its release. Its influence has spread into every corner of the industry.

Andrew Niccoli, writer of The Truman Show and Gattaca, spoke on it in an article celebrating the film’s 50th anniversary: “The opening sequence of 2001 is the most immersive experience in cinema: completely spare of dialogue. I was sucked into the world as if I was in a black hole. I was watching 3D before there was 3D. It changed not only science fiction but also the very form of cinema.” (QTD The Guardian)

Now is probably an appropriate time to give an honorable mention to the rest of Stanley Kubrick’s filmography. He was one of those monumental artists who was almost as consistent as he was original. After stumbling around a bit with his first few features, he eventually found his footing with his anti-war epic Paths of Glory and proceeded to redefine every genre he touched for the next 42 years, going on an unprecedented 10-movie run of what many people 

consider to be masterpiece after masterpiece, leaving behind a nearly untouchable legacy 

which places him neatly into the conversation for the most influential filmmaker of all time.

Whiplash (2014)

Andrew Neiman, a young drummer, attracts the attention of ruthless jazz instructor Terence Fletcher, whose teaching methods seem to bring out the worst in both of them. As the movie goes on it challenges traditional Hollywood ideas about success and improvement, flipping the script in wildly entertaining ways.

A movie like Whiplash is special because It doesn’t need to be high-concept, and it doesn’t need to be grand. It is a deeply personal struggle that works well because the stakes are so involved. It’s a movie about obsession and balance, Fletcher is both the antagonist and the enabler who feeds into Andrew’s unhealthy pursuit of perfection. Part of the reason it feels so personal is because it apparently pulls from various real places from scene to scene:

“A lot of it is almost beat for beat autobiographical. The stuff that isn’t is still steeped in certain jazz anecdotes from history, or experiences friends have gone through. There was fodder for everything,” (QTD In Myers) Said writer and director Damien Chazelle when talking about how much of the movie was pulled from his real experiences as a student jazz drummer. I think that part of the reason that Whiplash is so refreshing is that it comes from someone who is sharing an experience from outside of the movie industry, it’s obvious that Damien is as passionate about music as he is about filmmaking.

Nowadays, it’s rare to see a movie that is as strong in concept and execution as Whiplash, especially from a new director, but Chazzele delivers one of the most intense and exciting movies in recent memory. It works as a fast-paced thriller full of great music, as well as a character study that actually has something meaningful to say about purpose and self-expectations. It’s something that I think is especially important for people my age to hear because of the way that the pursuit of greatness is usually represented in cinema. Whiplash offers a more realistic depiction of what pushing yourself really looks like and serves as a cautionary tale to anyone in education or pursuing something.

Good Will Hunting (1997)

Perhaps the most worshipped of all coming-of-age movies, and once you watch it you will understand why. It has a simple story and has been called cliche, but Good Will Hunting doesn’t need to outsmart you, it shines brightest in the small payoffs and character moments.

The story of a rule-breaking slacker from South Boston with a knack for mathematics,

The film cleverly plays with the dynamic of delinquency and potential. Will Hunting pushes away his prospects, and when the people around him try to steer him straight, he pushes them away too. It’s a movie about fear and overcoming it, the greater arc of the movie is mirrored in his uncertain relationship with his girlfriend, a hurdle which he has to overcome before he can find what he really wants out of life.

Good Will Hunting is a movie about growing up that has a unique ability to stick with you as you get older, this is because, while the movie is presented as a study of the delinquent student, it is as much a confrontation of the teacher. Sean and Prof. Lambeau work not only as sources of relatability for people from different walks of life but also to represent the extremes of Will’s personality, and somewhere in their fight to influence him, there is balance. This dynamic mirrors all our experiences being influenced by the people around us in different ways, letting these influences mold us into a complete person.

For me, Gus Van Sant is a hit-or-miss director, but his passion and devotion to doing things differently and sticking to his unique style shine through in all his work. He has a great appreciation for subtle beauty, and he makes great use of environmental shots showcasing the streets of Boston (Usually accompanied by the excellent, career-launching soundtrack by Elliot Smith.) It is a tightly-created movie about a complicated moment in life and offers a story that grows with the viewer and feels special in so many ways to so many people.

Robin Williams spoke on the way the movie connects with people: “It’s something more than a movie, it’s something like an emotional experience for people,” he said. “The painful stuff comes because it’s spoken so simply. That’s kind of the beauty of it. The more intimate and personal it is, the more it touches people. The more honest you are, the more it reaches out.” (QTD Nanos “A Conversation with Robin Williams.”)

I think high school is the perfect time to watch as many movies as possible, it’s the perfect sweet spot where you are mature enough to appreciate film in serious ways, but still malleable enough to subconsciously take things away from them that you can actually use in your life. I believe that movies are one of the most important and underutilized formative tools in education, and I don’t mean educational movies or documentaries, I’m talking about regular movies. They fuel creativity and critical thinking, they grow vocabulary and perspective, and most importantly they are purely compelling and entertaining to engage with.

If anyone actually watches one of the movies from the list please shoot me an email letting me know what you thought, even if you hated it: [email protected]