Film About Personal Growth And Overcoming

Cinema is an excellent means of communication for telling stories and spreading messages to the general public. Among the various cinematographic categories, there are also films on personal growth, very valid examples on how to achieve maximum individual development, on a personal and professional level.

Cinema is also a great tool for spending time with friends or family, discovering interesting films and sharing a common passion. Read on for our list of the best personal growth movies .

Personal Growth Movies

1. In search of happiness

This excellent personal growth film stars Will Smith, who along with his real son tells the life of Chris Gardner. The role earned Will Smith the Academy Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role. Chris Gardner is a divorced man who tries to improve his life and that of his son.

Both will face a series of difficulties to achieve happiness and fulfill their dream of a quiet and more comfortable life. In this story we see a man who goes through life day after day, constantly striving for success. The film is based on real facts.

2. Invictus – The invincible

Here is another example of a film based on real facts, set around the time Nelson Mandela was released from prison and won the presidency of South Africa. The film tells how the newly elected president motivated his rugby team to win the 1995 Rugby World Cup, with the aim of uniting the country’s black and white population, and thus avoiding a dangerous social conflict that it could have escalated into a civil war.

The film, which stars Morgan Freeman and Matt Damon, tells the story, as beautiful as it is tough, of a team struggling to win the trophy, overcoming the obstacles of their own country in conflict. If you are not a fan of rugby and do not know the final results of that year’s world championship, we recommend that you watch the film to enjoy the finale even more.

3. Will Hunting – Rebel genius

Here is another film starring Matt Damon and which represents another great example of a film about personal growth. It’s about Will Hunting, a rebellious and confrontational young man with an immense talent for math and physics. Despite all the efforts of his professors to motivate him to pursue a better life, Will’s character will prove to be his biggest obstacle.

4. Life is beautiful

This stunning film is set in the dramatic era of World War II. A father and his son, of Jewish religion, are sent to a concentration camp. There the man maintains a positive character in trying to convince his son that they are in the middle of a game of prizes, and that what is happening around them is not real.

Guido, played by Roberto Benigni, lead actor and director of the film, tries to protect his son from the horrors and barbarities of fascist Italy. The story is inspired by the life of Benigni’s father, who was forced to spend three years in a concentration camp.

5. Forrest Gump

Among the most famous personal growth films there is also Forrest Gump, the story of a man who suffers from mild mental retardation, but who has  enviable character and vitality.

The film tells the life of Forrest Gump, from a child to adulthood, in a very significant period for the United States, namely the Vietnam War. The story intertwines the life of the protagonist with that of some famous historical figures in a curious way and with a touch of humor.

6. A beautiful mind

The latest personal growth film worth listing is the story of John Forbes Nash, an eccentric math genius suffering from schizophrenia. The protagonist develops a mathematical theory aimed at revolutionizing many fields of science, while facing a terrible disease.

The film presents the point of view of the protagonist and his illness, his willingness to deal with his disorder and how difficult it is for him to live with hallucinations. To do this, Nash must learn to blindly trust loved ones: he understands that if they see or hear the same things, what happens is real.

Nash, played by Russel Crowe, thus finds himself facing his demons with the help of his friends and his wife, until he wins the Nobel Prize in 1994. We are talking about a man who was much more than a brilliant mathematician and who represents a true example of overcoming and personal growth.

All the films listed, in addition to entertaining us, will serve to make us reflect on our nature as fragile people  who, however, have an intrinsic strength and millions of possibilities.