Movies appear like dreams in the night, penetrating the unconscious, lifting mysteries of mind out of the darkness into the light, illuminating the truth.
Movies project pieces of life as symbolic images elevating self-awareness through personal identification.
The gambit of emotions actors portray onscreen emerges from the psychological background of their character's lives.
That's the power of the cinematic experience, the power of change, the power of emotions and the psychology behind it. Together they are unstoppable. Click on these Academy Award-winning movies and enter a world of discovery through the psychology behind the stories and their characters. You'll learn something about yourself in the process.
"All of us every single year, we're
a different person. I don't think
we're the same person all our lives."
- Steven Spielberg, Director
If the character’s struggles touch an emotional cord in you and make you think and reevaluate something about your present condition then their journey onscreen was worth the price of your ticket and so much more.
That's why you and the people around you in the theater or around the world watching, relate to the underdog and love a comeback story. It’s all about the same second chances you would want for yourself if confronted with similar circumstances.
If the messages in the stories are powerful enough they can affect millions of people who, like you, are on the same path toward finding meaning in life all through this cinematic experience.
Discovering meaning in stories and characters onscreen opens the door to self-awareness, and if understood and embraced it can motivate you and others to facilitate changes in your lives.
The Color Purple
The Black Swan
MOVIES
A Beautiful Mind
Silence of the Lambs
Ordinary People
Schindler's List
This understanding their character includes knowing what their childhood was like and what influences created their psychological needs that propel them forward within their present circumstances.
Each emotion fueling an action has a psychological root creating a multidimensional character who is compelling enough for you and the audience to relate to on an emotional level.
This moment of personal connection opens a door inviting you to enter their life onscreen. When they’re faced with struggles in their life and a great performance emerges a reality is birthed in your mind making the cinematic experience your own. This phenomenon creates a truth that cannot be denied.
You are that character up there and by being exposed to a believable visual representation you lose yourself in those magical moments.
You can see how someone else just like you reacts and witness the consequences of their actions in a safe, nonthreatening way.
As you watch the circumstances unfold, the best and worst in the characters emerges, and if you are with them you can see how the same circumstances bring out the best or worst in you in your own life.
They are exposing their psychological strengths and weaknesses, passions and fears as a way for you to learn about yourself.
When needs, desires and motives are triggered by the circumstances in the environment of the story, dramatic interactions emerge between