How can a movie with no story, not plot, no actors and not even any dialogue or voice over possibly be on this list of wisdom movies?! By featuring some of the best cinematography ever. This is what motion pictures should be. The way Baraka captures the essence of life in silent film is breathtaking and spell-bounding and will leave you so much the wiser. Watch this; you will not forget it!

Use the Force and you probably won’t need much wisdom, but Star Wars will give it anyway, mostly through the genius of that tiny green lovable Jedi Master Yoda and Obi Wan Kenobi. Now, let’s forget the fact that Obi Wan was dumb enough to leave Anakin alive at the end of Episode III and that Yoda ran away for years whilst old Palpetine led the galaxy to ruin. . . let’s forget that and remember the brighter times of this, the original trilogy, in which each film is crammed full of spiritual and philosophical life lessons that have inspired millions all around the world.

Stalker is a science fiction film from 1979 directed by Andrei Tarkovsky and written by Boris and Arkady Strugatsky. Stalker is based on the Strugatsky’s novel Roadside Picnic and tells the story of an exhibition led by The Stalkerr to bring his two clients to a site known as the Zone, which has the supposed potential to fulfill a person’s innermost desires.

Antonia’s Line was released in 1995 and directed Marleen Gorris, who described the film as a “feminist fairy tale.” Antonia’s Line is about independent Antonia (Willeke van Ammelrooy) who creates and maintains a close knit matriarchal community. The film shows the forty years after World War II in which Antonia plays the role of a saintly woman, helping all she meets. The film gives a very broad perspective on life as it shows such wide ranging topics as death, religion, sex, abuse, rape, lesbianism and more.

Crash is one of the most famous and popular movies on the list and was released in 2004, having been written and directed by Paul Haggis. Crash is about racial and social tension in LA and was inspired by a real life story in which Paul Haggis’ Porsche was carjacked. The story interweaves the lives of several characters: a black LAPD detective, his criminal brother and gang associate, a white district attorney and his wife, a racist police officer, an African Hollywood director and his wide, a persian immigrant and a Hispanic locksmith. . . needless to say it’s a pretty complex story, but a brilliant one. If you haven’t already watched it you simply must do so.

What more can be said about Harry Potter that hasn’t been said already? Not much. You already know the story and you likely already know that the valuable life lessons Harry Potter teachers make it more than worthy of a spot in this list of the best wisdom movies. All that’s left to do is to find the time to watch them all!

Based on the novel Peaceful Warrior by Dan Millman and starring Scott Mechlowicz, Nick Nolte, and Amy Smart, Peaceful Warrior is the story of a college gymnast whose life if forever changed after meeting a stranger.

 

Life as a House is a film written by Mark Andrus and directed by Irwin Winkler that tells the story of a man who is anxious to repair his relationship with his ex-wife and teenaged son after he is diagnosed with terminal cancer.

The Fountain is a 2006 fantasy / history / religion / sci-fi film about a romance—so that”s quite a lot for starters— and was directed by Darren Aronofsky and starring Hugh Jackman and Rachel Weisz. The Fountain comprises three storylines where Jackman and Weisz play different sets of characters: a modern-day scientist and his cancer-stricken wife, a conquistador and his queen, and a space traveler in the future who hallucinates his lost love. The storylines—interwoven with use of match cuts and recurring visual motifs—reflect the themes of love and mortality.