20 Movies that Inspire Growth across Fields

Last updated on October 30th, 2025 at 03:00 pm

Sometimes, we all need a source of inspiration to move forward or do well in our lives. And that push can be in the form of movies. There are numerous films dedicated to and teaching us many meaningful topics.

It can be related to different types of relationships, people facing financial hardships, teaching never to give up, learning to appreciate yourself, never losing hope, moving forward while having faith in yourselves, and many more.

In this article, you will familiarize yourself with the life-changing movies that act as an inspiration to many of us with a longing that can be proved helpful.

20 Movies That Inspire Growth Across Fields

1. The Shawshank Redemption

The Shawshank Redemption is one of the biggest hits of Frank Darabont’s career. The prison drama movie was released in 1994, making it one of the greatest films ever made.

It is an adaptation of the novella Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption by Stephen King in 1982.

The film follows the story of a prosperous banker who gets charged and imprisoned for murdering his wife and her lover at Shawshank Prison. In his years there, he makes friends with Ellis Red Redding, an illegal smuggler. They, along with other convicts, seek redemption through operation and understanding.

2. Lion

Garth Davis’s directed movie Lion hit the screens in 2016. It is an adaptation of a non-fiction book, A Long Way Home, written by Saroo Brierley in 2013.

If we are listing the inspirational films, it’s impossible to count out Lion. The story revolves around an Indian boy named Saroo. When he gets lost far away from his home when he is five years old, an Australian couple decides to adopt him.

But after twenty-five years, Saroo wants to go back home to India. He starts searching for his town after getting separated as a child. He wants to reunite with his birth parents, and his adoptive parents support his decision.

3. The Intouchables

The Intouchables was released in 2011 and was made under the direction of Éric Toledano and Olivier Nakache. The French movie narrates the story of Philippe and Driss.

Philippe meets with an accident while paragliding and becomes quadriplegic. A gentleman employs a clear-sighted emigrant, Driss, to care for him. They meet and form a special bond. They like each other’s company and spend most of their time together.

4. Peaceful Warrior

Peaceful Warrior is a Victor Salva film that came out in 2006. The drama movie is an adaptation of the novel Way of the Peaceful Warrior, written by Dan Millman in 1980.

The film shows the story of a problematic but skilled world champion gymnast, Dan. A college-going student is having trouble leading his life and always feels restless. Dan sees a chance and encounters a spiritual guide that can make his way of life more manageable than before.

5. Remember the Titans

Remember the Titans is a biographical sports movie directed by Boaz Yakin and released in 2000. The film’s plot is a real-life story based on Herman Boone, a football coach.

A black high school appoints a new African-American football coach named Herman Boone. Despite all the resentment from the other coach and the white students, he continued to lead them to the matches.

Herman’s team is ready to play for the first time as an integrated team. Everybody’s looking forward to it.

6. Into the Wild

Into the Wild is a Sean Penn-directed film that hit screens in 2007. It is based on a non-fiction book with the same name as the movie and was written by Jon Krakauer in 1996.

The story focuses on a bright graduate student and athlete, Christopher McCandless of Emory University. He decided to leave his custody, donate the $24,000 savings to charity, and hitch to Alaska to spend his life in nature.

In his journey on a different route, McCandless meets several individuals who influence him in various ways.

7. Forrest Gump

Forrest Gump is a 1994 film made under the direction of Robert Zemeckis. Winston Groom’s novel, with the same name as the movie, serves as the basis for the film.

It is counted among the highest-grossing and most inspirational movies. The plot narrates the tale of a man with a low IQ of 75, Forrest, who lives in Alabama and has leg braces.

He paints the film with the historical stories and events he encounters that bring changes to his life. Gump only longs to get a reunion with his childhood lover.

8. Spotlight

Tom McCarthy directed the 2015 biographical drama movie Spotlight. The film is roughly based on many stories revealed by the Spotlight team of The Boston Globe.

It is known as the oldest running newspaper, which is still continuous. The Spotlight Team is a United States investigative correspondent unit. The film shows the Boston Globe exposing the tremendous scandal surrounding child molestation by uncountable Catholic priests in Boston.

A man, Martin Baron, enters the Boston Globe and works as an editor. He makes Matt, Walter, Michael, and Sacha, four journalists, work on a story about the scandals in churches.

9. The Blind Side

The Blind Side is a John Lee Hancock sports drama movie that dropped in 2009. The film’s inspiration is the 2006 book of the same name, written by Michael Lewis.

It narrates the story of a homeless and devasted African-American guy who gets by the Caucasian family. Michael Oher receives help and care from the family and joins the All-American football team by overcoming the knowledge hardships.

10. The Perks of Being a Wallflower

The Perks of Being a Wallflower is a 2012 Stephen Chbosky movie. Stephen Chbosky’s 1999 novel of the same name serves as the inspiration for the film.

The story is about a homebody fifteen-year-old boy, Charlie Kelmeckis. When he attends high school, he is anxious about his new chapter of life. Charlie becomes friends with his seniors and gradually starts to get through his friend’s suicide and his rough history.

11. Moonlight

Barry Jenkins directed the 2016 movie Moonlight. Tarell Alvin McCraney’s In Moonlight Black Boys Look Blue play in his semi-autobiography, which is unpublished, serves as the basis for the film.

A young African-American guy, Chiron, has trouble with his sexuality and individuality. He is also battling with childhood, adolescence, and his growing maturity. He sees a great mentor in a drug agent, Juan.

He guides him to create his way. His guidance leaves an everlasting mark on Chiron’s life while he develops in Miami.

12. The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind

The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind is a 2019 movie directed by Chiwetel Ejiofor. It is made by taking the historical account under the same name as the film by William Kamkwamba and Bryan Mealer.

William Kamkwamba is a thirteen-year-old boy who loves the school but gets tossed out because his family seems unable to pay the fees. The Malawi boy sneakingly enters the library and obtains the knowledge to create a windmill to rescue the village facing the problem of famine.

13. Living on One Dollar

The 2013 documentary movie Living on One Dollar shows that four friends in rural Guatemala experience living there by only spending 1$ per day for two months. They try to combat parasites, sickness, severe economic tension, and starvation, but realize later that it is not manageable.

A family of three people—a husband, wife, and their son—shows solidity and benevolence to them and makes them realize that whatever they are doing is also sufficient to bring about change.

14. Marriage Story

Noah Baumbach took charge of directing the 2019 film Marriage Story. The movie revolves around the story of Charlie Barber, a theater director, and Nicole, his wife.

Their happy married life takes a U-turn, which brings devastating changes to their lives. It drags them into a brutal divorce decision. The movie shows how their relationship affects their personal behavior.

15. Good Will Hunting

Gus Van Sant’s 1997 American film Good Will Hunting focuses on the life of mathematics genius Will Hunting, who works as an M.I.T.’s janitor.

He is blessed with the ability to solve complicated mathematical problems. But he needs help emotionally. So he reaches out to Dr. Sean Maguireto, a psychiatrist who puts him at ease and heals him.

16. Whiplash

Damien Chazelle took up the role of directing the movie Whiplash, which hit screens in 2014. After getting registered in the highly competitive Shaffer Music Conservatory, Andrew, who dreams of becoming a drummer, gets tutored by Terence Fletcher.

The instructor is not someone comfortable to deal with. His relentless and extremely challenging way of teaching Andrew trespasses on his limitations.

17. It’s a Wonderful Life

It’s a Wonderful Life was released in 1946 under the direction of Frank Capra. The supernatural drama movie is inspired by Philip Van Doren Stern’s self-published leaflet and short tale, The Greatest Gift.

The film narrates the story of George Bailey, a dissatisfied and disappointed businessman who wants to commit suicide. So, heaven sends an angel to him to make him realize his worth and show him what would have happened if he had never been born.

18. The Secret Life of Walter Mitty

Ben Stiller’s American movie was released in 2013. The film follows the story of a man, Walter Mitty, who is living a bland life with little fun or interest. He always desires to live a life rich in romance and action.

When Mitty and his coworker are on the verge of losing their jobs, he sets his mind to venturing into an adventurous life in real-time. Walter’s new journey is something remarkable that he never thought of.

19. Hachi: A Dog’s Tale

Lasse Hallström made Hachi: A Dog’s Tale, a remake of Hachikō Monogatari, a Japanese 1987 movie by Kaneto Shindo. The film narrated the tale of a dog and a human.

A professor, Parker Wilson, teaching at a college, locates a dog abandoned at a railway station. He takes the dog to his house and starts looking after it. The dog becomes inseparable, and their bond becomes stronger and more special as time passes.

20. The Theory of Everything

No one is unaware of the name Stephen Hawking. James Marsh’s direction of the 2014 film The Theory of Everything presents him in a new and different light.

It is a biographical romantic drama movie that concentrates on the life of a theoretical physicist, Hawking. He is a brilliant astrophysics student who has studied and later discovers that he has a motor neuron disease and can live up to two more years.

The film is not completely about his life but also about Stephen, his dear wife, and his private life.

Conclusion

I hope you will apply the cornerstones you learn from these films to your own life after watching them. These movies bring positive change and help us evolve for the better in our lives. They are definitely a great motivation for people stuck with no idea what to do next.

Anshika Saxena

Just a person who invests her time mostly updating herself with the news surrounding the Korean, Thai, and Japanese entertainment industries or watching Asian dramas. Her interest in and knowledge of them encourages her to write about them. Writing is her peace in this chaotic world.

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