Five movies to get you off your butt

Want to change things in your life but having a hard time getting started?  Need some help getting psyched up?

Well, you’ve come to the right place!

If you watched The Pursuit of Happiness and felt you had to go fight for your own success; if Pay Forward inspired you to help somebody, Office Space encouraged you to challenge “the man” and Endless Summer was just the push you needed to take up surfing, then these next five non-blockbuster-but-awesome films ought to stimulate you to live your life to its full potential!

1) 180° South: “Get out and reconnect with nature!”

Do you think you know what an old winning businessman looks like? Chances are this movie will change your mental picture of what a successful businessman is and maybe your concept of success all together.

Travel with adventurer Jeff Johnson as he retraces the epic 1968 journey of Yvon Chouinard and Doug Tompkins to climb Cerro Corcovado, in the Chilean Patagonia.  Yvon and Doug are the founders of Patagonia, Inc. and the North Face, respectively. Seeing how these two extremely successful entrepreneurs have lived their lives may change the way you want to live yours.

Directed by surfer and filmmaker Chris Malloy, this documentary is a visually striking tale of people committed to never losing their connection with the beauty of the real world. It combines exhilarating adventure with a solid environmental message, by gently whispering to us that the surest way to feel fulfilled in life is to keep reinventing ways to go back to nature.

“Lots of young people ask me what books to read and what movies to watch”, says Yvon, “I think that’s a good start, but there is no substitute for just going there”.

Available for rental on Netflix, iTunes and for purchase at Amazon.com.

2) Surfing Favela : “Overcome obstacles and pursue your goals!”

Need help to keep up with your exercise plan? Let’s put it this way: find a way to watch this independent documentary, and I guarantee you will see the obstacles you face in your everyday life in a very different way.

“Surfing Favela” invites you into the daily routines of a group of surfers who live in two of the largest slums of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Surfing is their way to decompress from all the violence that permeates their lives and their slim chance to challenge poverty and social stagnation. Keeping the sport alive in a drug-dominated community, however, is no easy task, and our heroes must find creative ways to overcome the difficulties and obstacles that could stop youngsters from riding waves.

“Surfing Favela” was selected as a finalist for the THE FUEL EXPERIMENT, an international contest sponsored by Fuel TV(USA), and was the only Latin American Project to reach the Top Ten.

Unfortunately, “Surfing Favela” is not available for rental, but can be downloaded from iTunes (U$ 4.99) or ordered from Amazon.com (starting at U$14.99, new).

3) Man on wire : “Be bold and take risks!”

Philippe Petit is a character! He is indubitably big-headed.   But if anyone in this world’s excessive pride in themselves is merited, that person is Petit!

This Oscar winner for Best Documentary is about Petit’s walk across a high wire between the now gone Twin Towers in New Your City, back in 1974. Yep, you read it right. The man walked on a wire, between what used to be the two tallest buildings on the planet- no safety nets, no security systems.  And it gets better — his impressive deed was totally unauthorized, which means that in order to pull it together, Petit had to create a remarkable plan to sneak into the buildings several times, first to determine the equipment he needed, and finally to carry out the stunt.

Petit’s enthusiasm and determination are contagious. If what you need to transform your plan into action is courage, this story will empower you to go out there and make it happen- no matter how insanely difficult or risky “it” may be!

Available on Netflix, iTunes and most video stores.

4) Water : “Help somebody else!”

The only non-documentary in our list, Water was directed and written by Deepa Mehta and was nominated for an Academy Award (Best Foreign Language Film, 2007).

The film is set in 1938 India and tells the heartrending story of Chuyia a child bride whose husband dies before their union is consummated.  According to the tradition, widows are relegated to a life of seclusion and poverty in special houses on the outskirts of the city.  Chuyia is shipped to one of these houses that is ruled over by an old woman who pimps the young women out- Chuyia included.

The story is definitely distressing, but the film is beautifully made and it’s after taste is of hope and optimism. Hopefully, it will also make you feel like getting out of your way to help somebody.

Available on Netflix.

5) The Age of Stupid : “Face reality and act upon it!”

This film is a hybrid that mixes fiction and reality. The year is 2055, and we are in the company of the last living man on the planet. We watch him in archive footage from the mid-to-late 2000’s.

The question this man from the future asks is simple — “Why didn’t we stop climate change when we had the chance?” — and all the answers to his question pretty much converge to one unbelievably unsatisfying reason in our present time: because we don’t want to face climate change with the seriousness it requires!   We deny it until we can’t anymore, and even after we accept it as a fact, we find it difficult to make the life adjustments and sacrifices that are so necessary and pressing.

The movie, written and directed by British zoologist turned environmental documentarist, Franny Armstrong, is a great source of information about climate change and hopefully that wake-up call we could all use to finally get rid of the Hummers and SUVs, downsize our homes, and push our governments to immediately switch from oil to wind and solar power.  Check it out!

Available on Netflix.