CONSCIOUS CINEMA
5. MAKING CHANGES WHEN NEEDED.
When our beliefs don’t pan out as we’d like, it’s
time to choose new ones. Being willing to evaluate our choices and make changes to them
(by rewriting the beliefs that underlie them) is
essential for achieving results more to our liking. Of course, we have to follow through on
those changes in our choices to see them bear
fruit; otherwise, we’re likely to remain locked
in place, unsatisfied with our creations. Films
that address such questions include the offbeat
drama “The Truman Show” (1998), the gender-bending comedies “All of Me” (1984) and
“Switch” (1991), the romantic fantasy “Peggy
Sue Got Married” (1986), the quirky Woody Allen comedies “Zelig” (1983) and “The Purple
Rose of Cairo” (1985), the never-ending saga of
“Groundhog Day” (1993) and the heartwarming odyssey of “The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel” (2012).
6. FACING FEARS AND LIVING HEROICALLY.
This is precisely what’s called for when making
changes in our beliefs and in our lives. Without
the courage to do this, we really will stay stuck
in place. Many movies delve into this subject
beautifully, but some of my favorites are the
soul-searching sci-fi drama “Signs” (2002), the
courageous leap of faith character study “An
Unmarried Woman” (1978), the Alfred Hitchcock classic “Vertigo” (1958), the otherworldly
romantic comedy “Defending Your Life” (1991),
the charming and inspiring biopic “The King’s
Speech” (2010), and a trio of contemporary heroic tales (all from 2005), “The Constant Gardener,” “Syriana” and “Good Night, and Good
Luck.”
7. ASSESSING THE EVOLUTION OF OUR
BELIEFS.
Looking at how our beliefs change over time
gives us a sense of how far we’ve come in
achieving a particular goal. By taking stock of
our beliefs in this way, we can see where further
changes may be needed as well. Films in the
road trip genre are especially effective at this,
and some great examples include the cinemat-
53 | NEW CONSCIOUSNESS REVIEW
ic classic “The Wizard of Oz” (1939), the screwball comedy “Flirting with Disaster” (1996), the
action adventure “Indiana Jones and the Last
Crusade” (1989), the Frank Capra fantasy “Lost
Horizon” (1937) and the eccentric father-andson comedy “Nebraska” (2013).
8. APPRECIATING THE CONNECTEDNESS
OF ALL THINGS.
If we each truly create our own reality, then we indeed create the totality of that reality, including
all its component parts. When we consider how
intricately all of the elements of our existence
are interwoven, it becomes clear how careful
we must be when making c