Recommended by Dmitriy Ostapenko
This is not just a list of good films. Each one is a chance to see something important in yourself and in your relationships. Watch with an eye on the details I point out.
Faith and devotion in a relationship
Watch how the main character treats his wife and how he believes in her. Pay particular attention to the scene where he comes back to the glass with the phone to tell her: “You are not going to live like this!” Watch her reaction.
Finding yourself through closeness
Watch how the girl tries to reach his inner world — and how his therapist manages to do it.
The relationship with yourself
Watch how the character enjoys his relationship with himself, how he guards his personal boundaries, and how he treats his work and the space around him.
Looking for answers to the big questions
Before watching, write down on a sheet of paper your biggest questions to yourself and to life. While watching, return to that list from time to time and notice whether answers start to appear.
Restarting a life
Watch how a person restarts his life — and how he treats the people around him while he does it.
Unmet needs inside a marriage
Watch how the main character reacts to another woman — and how she gives him exactly what he is not getting at home.
Respect and doubt
Watch how the main character's wife wants to keep him at home and doubts him. Notice the emotional effect this has on him. If you watch this film, be sure to watch the next one on the list too.
Respect as a source of peace
Watch the respect with which the Japanese woman treats Tom Cruise's character. How she dresses him before the final battle. Think about why it was here that Captain Algren found peace, and why he came back to her. Draw a parallel with the scene in 3:10 to Yuma, where the hero prepares to escort the gang leader and his wife talks him out of it.
Truly seeing people
Watch how the main character genuinely SAW the people around him — and how attentively he treated them. Think about it: are there people in our lives who really see and hear us? And are we ever that person for someone else?
Love is born out of actions
Watch how small acts of kindness in a relationship gradually give birth to a real feeling of love.
If the film raised questions you want answers to — book a consultation.