I’m Still Thinking About These Movies

By Peter Kowalke on August 23, 2020

I love a good movie, one that expands your boundaries, makes you think, or sticks with you years after you watch it. Here’s what’s got me excited recently.

Note that most of these films are not on Netflix. You’ll have to find them on Amazon Prime Video or one of the many free movie sites (reach out if you need some links).

Girl (2018)

Lara, a 15-year-old girl who was born in a boy’s body, is committed to becoming a professional ballerina.

Synecdoche, New York (2008)

Life is looking pretty bleak for theater director Caden Cotard (Philip Seymour Hoffman). His wife and daughter have left him, his therapist is more interested in plugging her new book than helping him with his problems, and a strange disease is causing his body to shut down. Caden leaves his home in Schenectady, New York, and heads to New York City, where he gathers a cast of actors and tells them to live their lives within the constructs of a mock-up of the city.

Silence (2016)

Rodrigues and Garupe, two Catholic missionaries, travel to Japan in search of their missing mentor, Ferreira, who is believed to have been promoting Catholicism by going against the law.

Also Seen Recently (Honorable Mention)

These are some of the other movies I’ve seen recently that are worth a watch. While not quite as good as the films above, they still are well worth your viewing time. Consider these honorable mentions.

Moscow Never Sleeps (2015)

Moscow Never Sleep interweaves five compelling narratives in a provocative statement on Putin’s Russia.

A Touch of Sin (2013)

Four outcasts on the edges of a rapidly changing China channel their rage into a bloody rampage.

Doubt (2008)

After a nun observes Father Flynn’s closeness with Donald, a black student and the altar boy, she reports her suspicions to the principal. Together, they try to expose Flynn’s antics.

Nefarious: Merchant of Souls (2011)

A documentary film about modern human trafficking, specifically sexual slavery. Nefarious covers human trafficking in the United States, Western and Eastern Europe, and Southeast Asia, alternating interviews with re-enactments.

Grown Without Schooling (2001)

My movie (which you can watch here)! Accompany 10 grown homeschoolers from around the U.S., ranging in age from 19 to 31, as they explore and candidly discuss the lasting influence home education has had on their lives.

My All-Time Favorite Movies

For the full list of movies that get me excited, see my All Time Favorite Movies List:

See My Favorite Movies List