hopeful backdrop

Movies with hopeful vibe

231. Learning to Drive

Learning to Drive
Drama Comedy Relationship Drama Buddy Comedy
6.4
20141h 45minUnited Kingdom, United States
Director: Isabel Coixet

Overview

As her marriage dissolves, a Manhattan writer takes driving lessons from a Sikh instructor with marriage troubles of his own. In each other's company they find the courage to get back on the road and the strength to take the wheel.

Themes

Loneliness and connection, Home and belonging, Marital strain under routine life, Cross-cultural differences, Mentorship and companionship, Learning as empowerment

Available on

Amazon Prime Video
Amazon Video
Apple TV
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.

232. Wish I Was Here

Wish I Was Here
Drama Comedy Family Drama Awkward Comedy
6.6
20141h 47minFrance, United States
Director: Zach Braff

Overview

Aidan Bloom, a struggling actor, father and husband, is 35 years old and still trying to find a purpose for his life. He and his wife are barely getting by financially and Aidan passes his time by fantasizing about being the great futuristic Space-Knight he'd always dreamed he'd be as a little kid. When his ailing father can no longer afford to pay for private school for his two kids and the only available public school is on its last legs, Aidan reluctantly agrees to attempt to home-school them. Through teaching them about life his way, Aidan gradually discovers some of the parts of himself he couldn't find.

Themes

Homeschooling versus private schooling, Economic pressures on education, Faith and practical ethics, Pursuit of uncertain career, Family obligations under stress, Caregiving across generations

Available on

Amazon Video
Apple TV
Google Play Movies
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.

233. Song of the Sea

Song of the Sea
Family Animation Fantasy Family Animation Mythological Fantasy
8.0
20141h 34minIreland, Luxembourg
Director: Tomm Moore

Overview

The story of the last Seal Child’s journey home. After their mother’s disappearance, Ben and Saoirse are sent to live with Granny in the city. When they resolve to return to their home by the sea, their journey becomes a race against time as they are drawn into a world Ben knows only from his mother’s folktales. But this is no bedtime story; these fairy folk have been in our world far too long. It soon becomes clear to Ben that Saoirse is the key to their survival.

Themes

Grief and memory, Isolation on remote island, Silence and communication, Family duty vs longing, Folklore vs reality, Sea as home and threat

Available on

Amazon Video
Apple TV
Google Play Movies
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.

234. Boyhood

Boyhood
Drama Coming-of-Age Drama
7.9
20142h 46minUnited States
Director: Richard Linklater

Overview

The film tells a story of a divorced couple trying to raise their young son. The story follows the boy for twelve years, from first grade at age 6 through 12th grade at age 17-18, and examines his relationship with his parents as he grows.

Themes

Economic precarity, Parental conflict and abuse, Stepfamily adjustment, Divided family dynamics, Ambition and guidance, Adolescence and experimentation, Nostalgia and growth

Available on

Netflix
Amazon Video
Apple TV
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.

235. Million Dollar Arm

Million Dollar Arm
Drama Underdog Sports
7.0
20142h 4minUnited States, Ukraine
Director: Craig Gillespie

Overview

In a last-ditch effort to save his career, sports agent JB Bernstein dreams up a wild game plan to find Major League Baseball’s next great pitcher from a pool of cricket players in India. He soon discovers two young men who can throw a fastball but know nothing about the game of baseball. Or America. It’s an incredible and touching journey that will change them all — especially JB, who learns valuable lessons about teamwork, commitment and family.

Themes

Mentor-mentee growth, Cross-border talent scouting, Adaptation to unfamiliar systems, Opportunity vs exploitation, Performance pressure from investors, Teamwork and loyalty

Available on

Amazon Video
Apple TV
Google Play Movies
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.

236. Heaven Is for Real

Heaven Is for Real
Drama Family Drama
5.9
20141h 39minCanada, United States
Director: Randall Wallace

Overview

After their young son, Colton, undergoes emergency surgery, small-town parents Todd and Sonja Burpo are overjoyed at the child's miraculous recovery. However, the Burpos are unprepared for what happens next... Colton says that during his surgery he went to heaven and back, and tells his parents things that he couldn't possibly know. Can Todd find the courage and conviction to share his son's extraordinary, life-changing experience with the world?

Themes

Faith under pressure, Public scrutiny of belief, Parental faith and responsibility, Loss and belief, Heaven in private life, Religious authority and doubt

Available on

Netflix
Amazon Video
Apple TV
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.

237. The Way He Looks

The Way He Looks
Drama Romance Coming-of-Age Drama Coming-of-Age Romance
7.9
20141h 36minBrazil
Director: Daniel Ribeiro

Overview

Leonardo is a blind teenager dealing with an overprotective mother while trying to live a more independent life. To the disappointment of his best friend, Giovana, he plans to go on an exchange program abroad. When Gabriel, a new student in town, arrives at their classroom, new feelings blossom in Leonardo making him question his plans.

Themes

Coming of age pressure, Disability as catalyst, Overprotective parenting constraint, Lgbt relationship navigation, Independence vs dependence, Friendship vs romance tension, Peer teasing and acceptance

Available on

Amazon Video
Apple TV
Google Play Movies
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.

238. Belle and Sebastian

Belle and Sebastian
Adventure Coming-of-Age Adventure
6.9
20131h 44minFrance
Director: Nicolas Vanier

Overview

Belle and Sebastian is set high in the snowy Alps during the Second World War. The resourceful Sebastian is a lonely boy who tames and befriends a giant, wild mountain dog, Belle – even though the villagers believe her to be ‘the beast’ that has been killing their sheep.

Themes

Loyalty under pressure, Human animal bond, Wartime civilian resilience, Moral ambiguity in protection, Refugee aid and escape, Intergenerational guardianship

Available on

Amazon Video
Apple TV
Google Play Movies
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.

239. Patema Inverted

Patema Inverted
Animation Science Fiction Adventure Drama Anime
7.3
20131h 38minJapan
Director: Yasuhiro Yoshiura

Overview

A young girl, from a civilization that resides in deep underground tunnels, finds herself trapped in an inverted world and teams up with a resident to escape and return home.

Themes

Authoritarian regime, Underground vs surface, Gravity disruption consequences, Intercultural contact, Cross-world cooperation, Youth resilience

Available on

Apple TV
Kanopy
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.

240. The Book Thief

The Book Thief
Drama Historical Drama
7.5
20132h 11minGermany, United States
Director: Brian Percival

Overview

While subjected to the horrors of WWII Germany, young Liesel finds solace by stealing books and sharing them with others. Under the stairs in her home, a Jewish refugee is being sheltered by her adoptive parents.

Themes

War-time resilience, Books as refuge, Protective sheltering, Youth indoctrination vs doubt, Trauma through shared reading, Power of words

Available on

Amazon Video
Apple TV
Google Play Movies
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.