The Movies That Inspired Me To Change My Life and Chase My Dreams

Have you ever watched a film that’s made you stop and really think about your own life? 

I’m not a film buff by any stretch of the imagination - my son regularly despairs at my lack of movie knowledge! To be honest, I often struggle to stay awake for the duration of a film much to the amusement of my family. In fact, in our student days when my husband James and I used to go to the video shop our standard practice was to rent two movies; one to start watching together and one for James to replace it with when I inevitably dozed off half an hour into it.

So I was quite surprised that at a time in my life when I felt a bit lost, I unexpectedly found guidance in some of the movies I watched.

A Film Is More Than A Film

These days, although I don’t watch that many myself, films are a daily conversation topic in our house. You may be aware that autistic people often have special interests. My teenage son’s special interest is film and my goodness - there’s not much he doesn't know about movies. To Jamie, a film is so much more than actors portraying a story. He’s fascinated by:

• The directing

• The message the film is trying to give

• The cinematography

• The writing

• The soundtrack

• The production and editing

• The choice of cast

• The type of film stock used to shoot the movie

He doesn’t just watch a movie; he immerses himself in finding out all he can about the making of the movie and learning about the people involved - both the characters and the actors.

My Relationship With Movies

Watching Jamie delve deep into every element of film making made me realise I’d been experiencing films more passively. However, I’m realising now that some had still managed to speak to me in surprising ways.

It’s something I’d never considered before but it seems they may have played a more important role in my life than I’d given them credit for. 

Of course I’ve had my favourites over the years. They may not be cult movies (and they’re not movies my son is proud of!) but I can’t help but smile when I think of Mary Poppins, Notting Hill, Forrest Gump, Evita and the Mamma Mia! movies. These are probably the ones I’ve watched more than any others over my lifetime (judge away - I don’t mind!). 

I think most of us have our comfort movies - the ones we know will always make us feel better. They’re safe and comforting, we know what line is coming next and we can sing along to the soundtracks. Watching these films is like catching up with old friends.

However, interestingly, these are not the movies that have had the biggest influence on my life. Sometimes it’s strangers or new people in your life who are the ones to help you look at life differently, spark an idea or encourage you to make changes. For me that has also been the case with movies - my old faithfuls will always be special to me but I’d like to tell you about the ones that caught me in my tracks and really spoke to me.

The Movies That Inspired Me To Change My Life and Chase My Dreams

I want to share three films that, in very different ways, lit a spark in me - each one nudged me closer to chasing dreams I’m not sure I even knew were burning within me. There were several years between me watching these movies and actually starting to chase my dreams. Now I’m so grateful that I saw them and that they left such a lasting impression on me that, when the time came, these movies were still there in my heart and in my mind pushing me to make the changes I needed to make.

(Spoiler: I haven’t travelled across the country for a beauty contest, joined a circus or gone to Nashville to become a country singer! I have, however, been learning to follow my own dreams and I have these films to thank for encouraging that.)

Little Miss Sunshine

Proof that success isn’t always about perfection and that messy, loving families (just like mine) can still go on wild, beautiful journeys.

This is such a special film, first watched in my student days with James and my brother on a Friday evening in the house I grew up in. Whenever I think of Little Miss Sunshine, twenty years later, I still remember how happy and cosy I felt that evening. Back then, I wasn’t a mum or a wife. I just enjoyed this heartwarming story of a family supporting a little girl to follow her dream. I’ve watched it several times since then but now, as a parent, it holds so much more meaning for me. 

The mother portrayed by Toni Collette is doing her utmost to support both of her children, despite how unlikely they seem to be able to realise their dreams. I get it now, I totally get it. Sometimes it seems the odds are stacked against us, and there is no one else who will fight for my kids like I will. 

The family in the film experienced some adversity, as we have, but they pulled together, supported eachother and turned what initially seemed like an impossible challenge into a beautiful shared adventure. I feel that our metaphorical journey as a family over the past few years since my son’s autism diagnosis has taken a similar route. Because of this, now more than ever, I look to this film as inspiration in how to be the mum I need to be.

The Greatest Showman

So much more than just a brilliant soundtrack - this movie taught me not just to have belief in your dreams but to support those you love following theirs.

A cinema outing with my young kids as an Easter holiday treat introduced me to The Greatest Showman. We were there for some easy viewing of this new movie that lots of people were talking about. Little did I know that I would be mesmerised by its message of hope, faith and being bold enough to follow a dream. 

I do enjoy a love story but what I really loved in this was that I could relate to the protagonist (my boy will be so proud of me for using this word!) and his wife and their dedication to supporting eachother. Over the years, my husband and I have taken turns to support eachother in career changes and I’m proud of and grateful for the fact that we’ve each been able to put the other person’s needs first - even when there was some worry about the impact. 

I was hit by the message of creating a life that we actually want to live in - the world of our dreams. The lyrics, “We can live in a world that we design” stood out for me in this inspiring song. I knew right there in that moment, sitting in the cinema beside my kids, that I wanted to live in a world that I had designed. Since then, I’ve been much more conscious about trying to create a world around me and live the life I truly want to live, however illusive it may seem at times. 

Now I still live in the real world with all its challenges but I also have this little world of my own with my family, my friends, my travels and this little blog. It didn’t mean I had to run away with the circus - just that I had permission to build something joyful and unique for myself. My life may not look like a life that many people would dream of but it’s my world that I’ve designed and I’m so grateful for it - and for the film that inspired me to build it!

Wild Rose

A gritty, heartfelt story about a single mum chasing her dream of becoming a country singer - it reminded me that it's never too late to reinvent yourself.

It’s hard to explain how unsettled I felt after watching Wild Rose for the first time. My first viewing of it was in my living room cuddled up with my dog after a wet walk. My friend had recommended Wild Rose knowing that I’m a fan of country music.

At this point I was very unsettled in my career. I had this constant gnawing feeling that I was meant to be doing something else but I had no idea what and it was getting me down. So this seemed like an easy watch with a good soundtrack - a nice distraction from my current quandary.

Far from being the easy distraction I had expected, it had left me feeling even more unsettled. It felt like it was speaking to me, trying to get a message to me that I couldn’t quite grasp. Does it make sense to you if I say that I felt Rose-Lynn, the main character, was giving me a solution but I wasn’t understanding it? I still didn’t know what I needed to do with my life, what I really wanted.

As promised, the soundtrack was a belter. They say country music is “three chords and the truth” and after watching the film I listened to the music on repeat, searching the lyrics for my truth amongst the chords. 

I didn’t share this character’s struggles when it came to being a mum - that was one area I knew I was completely satisfied with. But it was her desperation to improve her life that struck a chord with me and, while I related to her feelings, I was a little envious that she knew what she wanted! At this point all I really knew was what I didn’t want.

Now though - I finally know what I want from life and I’m going after it! I often think of Rose-Lynn and her dogged determination to chase her dream even when the odds were not in her favour. This film also showed me that having a dream isn’t selfish - it’s part of survival. But most importantly for me, having dreams can still be balanced with being a mother above all else.

2001: A Space Odyssey

The sci-fi classic that taught me to go with the flow.

I know I said three movies but if you’ll indulge me, I’d like to add one more! Last week, Jamie introduced me to one of his favourite movies, 2001: A Space Odyssey. (Yes - I do feel quite cool having now seen a Kubrik film!). While my sole aim for this cinema trip was to stay awake, I actually learned another lesson which I plan to hold onto.

Now, I’m not usually the parent of choice for movies with Jamie on account of my inability to tolerate anything too scary, violent or sad. But with his dad unavailable I had the honour of going to see this film at the cinema. Jamie assured me that I wouldn’t be traumatised by it. 

There’s a lot to dissect and discuss with this film, not least the predictions about Artificial Intelligence, but there was one scene in particular that I found transfixing. As an astronaut transcended time, true to form, I found myself putting myself in this character's position. How would I feel? I’d probably be petrified…sad that life as I knew it was ending…scared by feelings of helplessness. I could feel my anxiety rising as I imagined all these emotions.

But then it dawned on me as he transcended through the amazing light show - there was nothing he could do. Absolutely nothing. He had no choice but to go with the flow and see where he ended up, enjoying a spectacular array of lights as he moved through time. Having realised this, I felt calm again - I wasn’t actually in a space ship transcending time so I could relax in my cinema seat with my boy beside me and just enjoy the spectacle. And that was the lesson I took from this film: sometimes life events are out of our control and all we can do is go with the flow and allow ourselves to see beauty, even in the darkest moments. And that, somehow, makes all the uncertainty I've accepted into my life less scary.

Why Am I Writing About Movies?

My blog is about designing a life I love and helping others who face similar challenges to the ones I’ve faced. I’m embracing living my own version of “otherwise” and it seems to me that all three of these films embraced characters trying to do the same thing - breaking away from what society expected and living a life they actually wanted to live.

In the last few years I’ve left a job I was miserable in, helped my son to learn in a way that works for him, travelled to new places, found new purpose through my blog and embraced connections and collaborations with old friends and new. As I’ve travelled this journey, the films I’ve told you about have often come to mind, stoking inspiration and confidence.

I’m sharing them with you because I hope that I can encourage you to look out for the little signs or messages that could help you to build a life you love. Maybe these very films will help you on your way. It could be that you hear a song on the radio today that contains a little message of encouragement for you or maybe you’ll see a poster on your way to work that sparks an idea. When I watched these films I had no idea that they would play a part in influencing the direction of my life by planting the seeds that I too could be bold enough to follow my dreams and live a life I love. And if I can do it, so can you…..

In the comments below, I’d really love to hear about which movies have inspired you!

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