10 memorable films that have inspired me

Fabricio Teixeira
UX Collective
Published in
6 min readJun 10, 2019

This article has very little to do with design, UX, tech, or any of topics I commonly write about around here — just wanted to take a minute to recommend a few movies I have watched or re-watched recently, and my key learnings from each one of them. Sometimes the best inspiration comes from unexpected places ;)

1. The Overview Effect (2012)

For shifting my perspective on perspective.

Scientifically, the Overview Effect is a cognitive shift in awareness reported by some astronauts during spaceflight, often while viewing the Earth from outer space. It is the experience of seeing firsthand the reality of the Earth in space, which is immediately understood to be a tiny, fragile ball of life, hanging in the void, shielded and nourished by a paper-thin atmosphere. From space, national boundaries vanish, the conflicts that divide people become less important, and the need to create a planetary society with the united will to protect this “pale blue dot” becomes both obvious and imperative.

The film also features insights from commentators and thinkers on the wider implications and importance of this understanding for society, and our relationship to the environment.

You can watch the full documentary below (19 min):

2. Roma (2018)

For expanding my concept of what a visual masterpiece is.

Roma is a 2018 drama film written and directed by Alfonso Cuarón, who also produced, shot, and co-edited it. Set in 1970 and 1971, Roma, which is a semi-autobiographical take on Cuarón’s upbringing in the Colonia Roma neighborhood of Mexico City, follows the life of a live-in housekeeper of a middle-class family.

While at a surface level the film talks about the ins-and-outs of an average household in Mexico, it really is a story about abandonment, and belonging. Made me cry several times not only because of the story, but also because of how beautiful, thoughtful, and well-crafted certain scenes are.

The film has won the Golden Lion in Venice, 10 Oscars nominations, 2 Golden Globes, 2 Critics’ Choice Awards, 4 BAFTA Film Awards.

You can watch the full movie on Netflix if you are a member.

3. Upstream Color (2013)

For teaching me emotional storytelling is more important than logical sense.

Upstream Color is a 2013 American experimental science fiction film written, directed, produced, edited, composed, designed, cast by and starring Shane Carruth. The story is about two people whose behaviors are affected by a complex parasite — without knowing it — that has a three-stage life cycle in which it passes from humans to pigs to orchids. A man and woman are drawn together, entangled in the lifecycle of an ageless organism. Identity becomes an illusion as they struggle to assemble the loose fragments of wrecked lives.

Sounds crazy, huh? It gets even better when you stop trying to make logical sense of the story, and focus on appreciating its immersive and shocking visual narrative.

You can buy/rent the full movie on Youtube Movies.

4. Madeline’s Madeline (2018)

For reminding me visual narratives for a certain medium can always be reimagined, and that the best results emerge when you blend different art forms together.

Madeline’s Madeline is a 2018 drama film, written and directed by Josephine Decker. The main character is a teenage actor who is encouraged by her theater director to blur the lines between the character she’s playing and her actual identity. The film is known for its experimental visuals and the improvisational process Decker used to create the story, not unlike the characters themselves.

You can buy/rent the full movie on Youtube Movies.

5. LA 92 (2017)

For bringing me a different perspective (and a recent-history 101 class) on racial issues in America.

Twenty-five years after the verdict in the Rodney King trial sparked several days of protests, violence and looting in Los Angeles, LA 92 immerses viewers in that tumultuous period through stunning and rarely seen archival footage.

You can watch the full movie on Netflix if you’re a member.

6. Pina (2011)

For reviving my appreciation for dance, and my obsession for reaching perfection in craft — in any discipline.

Pina is a 2011 German documentary film about the contemporary dance choreographer Pina Bausch, directed by Wim Wenders. During the preparation of the documentary, Pina Bausch died unexpectedly. Wenders cancelled the film production, but the other dancers of Tanztheater Wuppertal convinced him to make the film anyway. It showcases these dancers, who talk about Pina and perform some of her best-known pieces inside the Tanztheater Wuppertal and in various outdoor locations around the city of Wuppertal.

You can buy/rent the full movie on Youtube Movies.

7. Waltz with Bashir (2008)

For blurring the lines between personal memories and historical facts, and reminding me that isn’t that the case for all history we hear and read about?

Waltz with Bashir is a 2008 Israeli animated war documentary film written and directed by Ari Folman. Director and Israeli army veteran Ari Folman interviews friends and former soldiers about their memories of the 1982 Lebanon war and especially the Sabra and Shatila massacre in Beirut. The usage on animation enabled Folman to illustrate their personal memories and dreams.

The film took four years to complete. It is unusual in it being a feature-length documentary made almost entirely by the means of animation. It combines classical music, 1980s music, realistic graphics, and surrealistic scenes together with illustrations similar to comics. The entire film is animated, excluding one short segment of news archive footage.

You can rent/buy the movie on Youtube Movies.

8. Koyaanisqatsi (1982)

For reminding me that images, rather than words, are the most powerful way to tell stories that speak to the awe of the human journey.

Koyaanisqatsi is a 1982 American experimental film directed by Godfrey Reggio with music composed by Philip Glass and cinematography by Ron Fricke.

The film consists primarily of slow motion and time-lapse footage of cities and many natural landscapes across the United States, showing us the heavy toll that modern technology is having on humans and the earth. The visual tone poem contains neither dialogue nor a vocalized narration: its tone is set by the juxtaposition of images and music. Reggio explained the lack of dialogue by stating “it’s not for lack of love of the language that these films have no words. It’s because, from my point of view, our language is in a state of vast humiliation. It no longer describes the world in which we live.”

Here’s where to stream the movie.

9. Me and You and Everyone We Know (2005)

For speaking to my precise kind of humor, and for shining a light of sensibility on the everyday things and human interactions happening around us.

Me and You and Everyone We Know is a 2005 American romantic comedy-drama film written and directed by Miranda July. She also acts in the starring role, opposite John Hawkes. The film was the first major studio production for July, who had been known previously for her self-produced short films and performance art.

One story line is about a father who is ending his marriage and the other story is of a video artist who is desperately trying to get her work in a modern art museum. The film won Caméra d’Or at Cannes.

Here’s where to stream the movie.

10. A Ghost Story (2017)

For reminding me of the incredibly limited — yet relative — duration of the human journey.

A Ghost Story is a 2017 American supernatural drama film written and directed by David Lowery, about a man who becomes a ghost and remains in the house he shares with his wife.

A24 is my go-to movie production label when it comes to picking movies to watch these days. You can’t go wrong.

You can rent/buy the movie on Youtube Movies.

Bonus: Climax, by Gaspar Noe (2019), for putting out something bold in an era of quite expected film making

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Published in UX Collective

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