148 Comments

Moonlight (2016)!

Not a more gorgeous movie ever made, in my opinion!

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this was my first thought too! 🌕

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The 1990s Alfonso Cuaron Little Princess

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I've never seen this!!!! Definitely putting it on the list. Thank you!

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It's slow (but 97 minutes!) and visually lovely and a bit weird, and it takes the lives and imaginations of young girls very seriously. There's a bit of magical realism intersecting with colonialism that *mostly* fits with the tone of the movie. Cuaron gave a great interview about it a few years ago, which really stuck with me: https://www.huffpost.com/entry/a-little-princess-alfonso-cuaron-25th-anniversary_n_5ebc0b00c5b6dcf5d0d884f8

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Wings of Desire, the 1987 version by Wim Wenders.

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This was my first thought, too

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Eternal Sunshine is my favorite movie of all time, thanks for the other two recommendations! I just watched Past Lives which has a small reference to the movie. It has similar themes, I've been thinking about it the last few days. It's newer so I doubt you'll be able to stream it from your residency but others that might work are The Fall (2006), Aftersun (2022), Portrait of a Lady on Fire (2019), and The Worst Person in the World (2021).

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I love all of those very much except The Fall, which I have never seen! So that’s definitely going on the list!

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The Fall is visually stunning

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The Piano (1993), and The English Patient (1996).

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Harold and Maude 🥲

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I came here to say Harold & Maude as well - the movie AND the music (Cat Stevens is the entire soundtrack) rank high for me.

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Being There (also Hal Ashby) is also 🥲

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"Still Walking" by Kore-eda is the first one that comes to mind. A beautiful and painful movie about grief and the difficult nature of family relationships. I think there's some similarities in your music and Kore-Eda's films, there's a deeply thoughtful and honest core that's hard to describe but easy to feel. I'd say his other movies, especially Shoplifters also fit in this description too, but Still Walking has stayed close to me for a long time.

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It's Paris, Texas for me.

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Oh yesssss.

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Lost in Translation. I will spend the rest of my life wondering what he whispers in her ear at the end.

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Same here. Lost in Translation and the lifelong wondering!

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Nine Days (2020) is so achingly beautiful.

Also, not a film but a TV series: Station Eleven was one of the most gorgeous and emotional series I've watched in a long long time.

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💯 agree about Station Eleven.

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Agree about Station Eleven, and Nine Days has been on my list but I will bump it up!

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Saw Nine Days on a plane. Hard not to leave a mess

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Beau Travail by Claire Denis

Aftersun if you haven't seen it yet!

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After Yang sat with me for a long time.

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Aftersun 🥲

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Oh, and Decision to Leave. One of my new all-time favorites.

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Tarsem's The Fall (2006) is my all-time favourite film and perfectly fits the category of "achingly beautiful." I saw it as a teenager and it had a profound impact on me.

More well-known, but Amélie (2001) also hits a lot of the same chords for me.

And this might be a bit more "hauntingly beautiful": Bladerunner 2049 (2017).

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Portrait of a Lady on Fire (2019) ❤️

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A River Runs Through It - beautiful words, acting and Montana scenery. Always makes me cry at the end “I am haunted by waters.”

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