Adventure

In Bridge To Terabithia, it’s about two adolescent kids named Jesse and Leslie, who are being constantly bullied at school by their peers. They decided to form a friendship and find an abandoned tree house in the woods nearby their houses, where they create a fantasy world of their own called Terabithia, which reflects their own lives. The movie plays with the audience feelings as first it seems like a fun, little ride into the minds of two kids who just wanna feel fun and safety. As it slowly progresses, a major change into the lives of its protagonist shows the dangers of living in a fantasy world, acceptance of a devastating occurrence and the importance of friendship. This film helped me through a significant crisis in my life. Despite being at such a young age, seeing a kid like Jesse, create a majestic and wonderful world of his own taught me how to really embrace my imagination. It showed me that I can always escape the reality I was currently living under, full of hate and despair. Up to this day, I can always imagine going back to my own version of Terabithia, to get away from my problems and think of a world of peace and balance. Reality is always right around the corner, but just because it’s there, doesn’t mean I would have to face it forever. Sometimes, we need our own little space just for us.

Animation

In Toy Story, it’s about Woody, who is a good-hearted cowboy doll who belongs to a young boy named Andy. Everything seems well in his world until he sees his position as Andy's favorite toy jeopardized when his parents buy him a Buzz Lightyear action figure. The movie focuses on Woody adjusting to a new member within his group of toys and that he has to accept growth while maintaining his own self-worth. This is my favorite film of all time. A simple story about acceptance, growth and friendship packed with great animation that really signified a changing point for Disney, and our lives. In a world where I keep moving around from country to country, adjusting to meeting new people, sometimes once you find the group of people you would wanna stick around with forever, you’d have to accept change once more and more people that were once in the same spot as you attempt to find their own place as well. I envision myself in Woody, having hard times to embrace a drastic change in one’s life surely is why this is still my favourite movie of all time.

Comedy

In Superbad, it’s about two best-friends, Seth and Evan, who are two teenagers about to graduate high school. Before graduating, Seth convinces Evan to go to a big high school party in order to feel cool and get wild, however their plans go off the rails which sets off the whole film. It’s the continuing temper and friendship of the protagonists that drive the whole film in general. While it tries to feel raunchy, it’s chemistry between the two leads showcases the importance of having your best friend in your life and that the outside world is not what matters to you at most. Surprisingly related to Toy Story, it felt like a spiritual sequel to a continuing storyline on friendship. Of course, once you find your best friend in the world and growing up and seeing you drift apart from one another is hard. High School is “important” in terms of your social status in your school. A jock, nerd and socialite is what defined you apparently. The fact that you have a best friend to share your whole high school experience with, while others might force you to be someone else, would always have a strong effect on someone, like me.

Drama

In Wonder, the story is about a young boy, named August, with a disfigurement issue on his face going to his first day of elementary school, where he and his family are all worried for him, while facing problems of their own, as he faces the real world...you can connect the emotional dots from there. It shows the audience how to know who your real friends are, embracing your own self and who you can consider family. I was a big fan of the book and really excited for the film when it was announced. The story of August’s first day of school knowing what kind of reaction he would get from his peers is, in my opinion, the strongest point. It’s different from reading a book and imagining it from your perspective to actually watching an actor go through them on screen. The predictability that he would get bullied for his problem is exactly how we would all feel entering our first day on a new school. We wouldn’t have the same disfigurement as August, of course, but we’re so scared of what everyone would think of us. If they see an immediate problem with appearance or personality, than we would be in the same position as well. Like my first day in every school I’ve moved to, I’ve always been scared of who to talk to, eat lunch with or would be my best friend. It was 8 hours, 5 days a week of being judged and looked down upon until finally, around 2 months later, I had some control of who I am.

Coming-of-Age

In It, a group of young kids who are facing the wrath of the clown-demon from the sewers, Pennywise bonded together over the course of one horrifying summer. The friends must overcome their own personal fears to battle “it.” I see this film more of a coming-of-age story rather than a horror film. While there are still horror elements to it, the fate and drive of the film heavily relies on the kids and how they bond and work together to defeat the fear, Pennywise. We all have fears. It may not be a scary, demon clown but something else that one can’t get over. We can’t force ourselves to get rid of the fear we face, but sometimes we need people, good people, to be there for us at these times when we do face the fear. In all honesty, my fears are more dramatic. It’s the fear of losing my family and coming from a broken home. From minimal light arguments to maximum destruction of plates and posters, I feel as if I’m on a pedestal with nothing to do. What helps me through these fears is friends. Friends who can help me through these, give advice, or at least just being there for me and brightening up my dusk life is what makes my life worth living for.

Musical

In The Greatest Showman, the movie follows P.T Barnum in a quest to follow his dream and open up a circus of freaks. If you overlook the historical inaccuracies, we see a simple story of a visionary who rose from nothing to create a spectacle that became a worldwide sensation. With some dancing and singing and all-around fun, it’s a world that we wish could have existed at the time and is inspiring tale of family and the faults of a normal man and the society around him that constantly disallows his doings but still pursues his dream. I wrote a play for my old school, entitled Rise, about the social status and how “important” it plays out for each and every person. At first, most people felt offended, thinking that I was attacking them and protesting at the fact that I’m not as popular as the rest of them. I didn’t have any intention of doing that kind of act, but I did realize that I would face these consequences while making the story. The fact that my vision could be tarnished by reality was coming near. I wanted to show the rest of the world, or at least the people who watched, who we truly are...monsters. While others told me that this was risky, I said “screw it.” I ended up with a vision that created a bit of backlash, but just like what P.T Barnum said “No one ever made a difference by being like everyone else.”

Reality

I love movies. I think I’d watch at least a movie once a day, old or brand new, for their artistic value and significance to society. Whether it would be a simple comedy to high-suspense action to a melodrama, I love spending at least 2 and a half hours letting my brain watch and think. These specific genres define me, particularly these movies. Sure, i’ve seen tons of movies, and some of my favorites aren’t even in this list, but these ones showed a great significance to me at times where I was going through something. These films are the ones that gave me a change. A good change that made me better as a person and who I’m meant to me. I don’t care if I’m alone in my own world, having problems with new people interfering my life that I would resolve, seeing my best friend possibly leave me, facing predictable bullies and adjustments as to moving from country to country, being alone facing my fears, or even risking my social status to tell the whole world we’re being monsters...

This is me.