The Most Profound Films
This list contains films that dig deep into your mind, make you question the films' meaning and messages. These are the films that help you discover your own self and your view on the world, life, humanity, moral, politics, justice, and other various topics. To put it simply, these are the films that make you think. The list is not made with a specific order.
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- DirectorDavid FincherStarsBrad PittEdward NortonMeat LoafAn insomniac office worker and a devil-may-care soap maker form an underground fight club that evolves into much more.It makes you think about: material wealth & self-identity in society.
- DirectorDavid FincherStarsMorgan FreemanBrad PittKevin SpaceyTwo detectives, a rookie and a veteran, hunt a serial killer who uses the seven deadly sins as his motives.It makes you think about: moral & sanity.
- DirectorJames McTeigueStarsHugo WeavingNatalie PortmanRupert GravesIn a future British dystopian society, a shadowy freedom fighter, known only by the alias of "V", plots to overthrow the tyrannical government - with the help of a young woman.It makes you think about: freedom, fear, and politics.
- DirectorSteven SpielbergStarsTom HanksMatt DamonTom SizemoreFollowing the Normandy Landings, a group of U.S. soldiers go behind enemy lines to retrieve a paratrooper whose brothers have been killed in action.It makes you think about: patriotism, sacrifice, and war.
- DirectorGus Van SantStarsRobin WilliamsMatt DamonBen AffleckWill Hunting, a janitor at MIT, has a gift for mathematics, but needs help from a psychologist to find direction in his life.It makes you think about: the courage to love yourself before loving others.
- DirectorSidney LumetStarsHenry FondaLee J. CobbMartin BalsamThe jury in a New York City murder trial is frustrated by a single member whose skeptical caution forces them to more carefully consider the evidence before jumping to a hasty verdict.It makes you think about: skepticism, prejudice, personal-agendas, and the justice system.
- DirectorJean-Pierre JeunetStarsAudrey TautouMathieu KassovitzRufusDespite being caught in her imaginative world, young waitress Amelie decides to help people find happiness. Her quest to spread joy leads her on a journey during which she finds true love.It makes you think about: the life & happiness of other people, the meaning of simple actions.
- DirectorAlfonso CuarónStarsJulianne MooreClive OwenChiwetel EjioforIn 2027, in a chaotic world in which women have somehow become infertile, a former activist agrees to help transport a miraculously pregnant woman to a sanctuary at sea.It makes you think about: sacrifice & human survival.
- DirectorYimou ZhangStarsJet LiTony Leung Chiu-waiMaggie CheungA defense officer, Nameless, was summoned by the King of Qin regarding his success of terminating three warriors.It makes you think about: heroism/patriotism.
- DirectorAdrian LyneStarsTim RobbinsElizabeth PeñaDanny AielloMourning his dead son, a haunted Vietnam War veteran attempts to uncover his past while suffering from a severe case of dissociation. To do so, he must decipher reality and life from his own dreams, delusions, and perceptions of death.It makes you think about: what is "real" and mental sanity.
- DirectorCharlie KaufmanStarsPhilip Seymour HoffmanSamantha MortonMichelle WilliamsA theater director struggles with his work and the women in his life as he creates a life-size replica of New York City inside a warehouse as part of his new play.It makes you think about: the realistic lives of everyone, that everyone has a role in the world no matter who they are, and that sadness is realistically a part of life.
- DirectorPark Chan-wookStarsLee Yeong-aeChoi Min-sikYea-young KwonAfter being wrongfully imprisoned for thirteen years and having her child taken away from her, a woman seeks revenge through increasingly brutal means.It makes you think about: moral, justice, conscience, and revenge.
- DirectorAng LeeStarsSuraj SharmaIrrfan KhanAdil HussainA young man who survives a disaster at sea is hurtled into an epic journey of adventure and discovery. While cast away, he forms an unexpected connection with another survivor: a fearsome Bengal tiger.It makes you think about: faith and religious beliefs.
- DirectorZack SnyderStarsJackie Earle HaleyPatrick WilsonCarla GuginoIn a version of 1985 where superheroes exist, the murder of a colleague sends active vigilante Rorschach on the trail of a conspiracy that will change the course of history.It makes you think about: moral and justice.
- DirectorMichel GondryStarsJim CarreyKate WinsletTom WilkinsonWhen their relationship turns sour, a couple undergoes a medical procedure to have each other erased from their memories forever.It makes you think about: memory, sensory perception, and reality.
- DirectorJuan José CampanellaStarsRicardo DarínSoledad VillamilPablo RagoA retired legal counselor writes a novel hoping to find closure for one of his past unresolved homicide cases and for his unreciprocated love with his superior - both of which still haunt him decades later.It makes you think about: moral & justice.
- DirectorTarsem SinghStarsLee PaceCatinca UntaruJustine WaddellIn 1920s Los Angeles, a bedridden patient in a hospital captivates a young girl with a fantastic tale of heroes, myths, and villains on a desert island.It makes you think about: desperation, heart break, and hope.
- DirectorOlivier DahanStarsMarion CotillardSylvie TestudPascal GreggoryBiopic of the iconic French singer Édith Piaf. Raised by her grandmother in a brothel, she was discovered while singing on a street corner at the age of 19. Despite her success, Piaf's life was filled with tragedy.It makes you think about: passion in life.
- DirectorKenji MizoguchiStarsMichiyo KogureAyako WakaoSeizaburô KawazuA seasoned geisha and her apprentice maiko are forced to give in to their clients' sexual advances to survive.It makes you think about: socially-assigned female gender role, especially among Geisha in post-war Japan.
- DirectorYimou ZhangStarsGong LiJingwu MaSaifei HeChina in the 1920s. After her father's death, Songlian is forced to marry the wealthy Master Chen. With three wives already, each living in a separate house, there is fierce competition for his attention and the privileges that are gained.It makes you think about: female gender-role in 1920s China.
- DirectorsBéla TarrÁgnes HranitzkyStarsLars RudolphPeter FitzHanna SchygullaA naive young man witnesses an escalation of violence in his small hometown following the arrival of a mysterious circus attraction.It makes you think about: chaos and order, juxtaposition, social "insanity", and normalcy.
- DirectorYimou ZhangStarsChow Yun-FatGong LiJay ChouDuring China's Tang dynasty the emperor has taken the princess of a neighboring province as wife. She has borne him two sons and raised his eldest. Now his control over his dominion is complete, including the royal family itself.It makes you think about: political power of a government or a rich family, not only in feudal China but in general.
- DirectorIsabel CoixetStarsSarah PolleyScott SpeedmanMark RuffaloA young woman conceals the fact of her terminal cancer to live her life with a passion she never had before.It makes you think about: life & death.
- DirectorLuc BessonStarsRie RasmussenJamel DebbouzeGilbert MelkiA beautiful woman helps an inept scam artist get his game together.It makes you think about: forgiving yourself.
- DirectorsLana WachowskiLilly WachowskiStarsKeanu ReevesLaurence FishburneCarrie-Anne MossWhen a beautiful stranger leads computer hacker Neo to a forbidding underworld, he discovers the shocking truth--the life he knows is the elaborate deception of an evil cyber-intelligence.It makes you think about: the government/political system and reality.
