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MOVIEPIQ · RELATIONAL MOMENTS

Films for the Person You Pretended to Be Fine For

These films were chosen by the Moviepiq editorial team for when the person you performed happiness for. No forced resolution. These films sit with the feeling rather than rush past it.

Films for the person you pretended to be fine for. Long enough that you weren't always sure where the performance ended.

The anger is clean and it has a legitimate address and you are not done with it yet, which is fine. Some feelings need to run their full length before they turn into something else, and the anger is one of those feelings, and you do not owe anyone a faster turnaround. These films let it run. They understand the particular dignity of a feeling that knows it is justified, and they will not talk you down or rush you through to the resolution on the other side.

I'm Still Here movie poster
1
2024 · 138min · ★★★★☆ 7.7/10

A woman married to a former politician during the 1971 military dictatorship in Brazil is forced to reinvent herself and chart a new course for her family after a violent and arbitrary act.

It runs on the same fuel you are running on. The anger has somewhere to go inside this story, and it moves.

Runs on the same fuel

Bo Burnham: Inside movie poster
2
2021 · 88min · ★★★★☆ 7.7/10

Stuck in COVID-19 lockdown, US comedian and musician Bo Burnham attempts to stay sane and happy by writing, shooting and performing a one-man comedy special.

The film does not ask you to be reasonable about it. It lets the feeling run at the temperature it is actually at.

Lets the anger move

A Whisker Away movie poster
3
2020 · 104min · ★★★☆☆ 6.7/10

A peculiar girl transforms into a cat to catch her crush's attention. But before she realizes it, the line between human and animal starts to blur.

Nobody is going to tell you to calm down in this one. The anger is treated as information, which is all you need right now.

No rush to the other side

Monster movie poster
4
2023 · 125min · ★★★★☆ 7.8/10

After an outburst at school involving her son, a concerned single mother demands answers, triggering a sequence of deepening suspicion and turmoil.

It validates the feeling without resolving it too quickly. You will come out the other side with slightly less pressure, on your own schedule.

Justified

The best thing about these films is that nobody is going to tell you to calm down.

My Policeman movie poster
5
2022 · 113min · ★★★★☆ 8.5/10

In the late 1990s, the arrival of elderly invalid Patrick into Marion and Tom’s home triggers the exploration of seismic events from 40 years previous: the passionate relationship between Tom and Patrick at a time when homosexuality was illegal.

It runs on the same fuel you are running on. The anger has somewhere to go inside this story, and it moves.

Runs on the same fuel

Memoir of a Snail movie poster
6
2024 · 94min · ★★★★☆ 7.7/10

Forcibly separated from her twin brother when they are orphaned, a melancholic misfit learns how to find confidence within herself amid the clutter of misfortunes and everyday life.

The film does not ask you to be reasonable about it. It lets the feeling run at the temperature it is actually at.

Lets the anger move

Gabriel's Inferno movie poster
7
2020 · 122min · ★★★★☆ 8.2/10

An intriguing and sinful exploration of seduction, forbidden love, and redemption, Gabriel's Inferno is a captivating and wildly passionate tale of one man's escape from his own personal hell as he tries to earn the impossible--forgiveness and love.

Nobody is going to tell you to calm down in this one. The anger is treated as information, which is all you need right now.

No rush to the other side

Perfect Days movie poster
8
2023 · 124min · ★★★★☆ 8.5/10

Hirayama is content with his life as a toilet cleaner in Tokyo. Outside of his structured routine, he cherishes music on cassette tapes, books, and taking photos of trees. Through unexpected encounters, he reflects on finding beauty in the world.

It validates the feeling without resolving it too quickly. You will come out the other side with slightly less pressure, on your own schedule.

Justified

War Room movie poster
9
2015 · 120min · ★★★☆☆ 6.4/10

The family-friendly movie explores the transformational role prayer plays in the lives of the Jordan family. Tony and Elizabeth Jordan, a middle-class couple who seemingly have it all - great jobs, a beautiful daughter, their dream home. But appearances can be deceiving. In reali

It runs on the same fuel you are running on. The anger has somewhere to go inside this story, and it moves.

Runs on the same fuel

Impossible Things movie poster
10
2021 · 88min · ★★★☆☆ 7.3/10

After the death of her abusive husband, Matilde finds her new best friend in Miguel, her young, insecure, and disoriented neighbor.

The film does not ask you to be reasonable about it. It lets the feeling run at the temperature it is actually at.

Lets the anger move

Out of the Clear Blue Sky movie poster
11
2019 · 112min · ★★★☆☆ 7.3/10

Returning to Earth as an imitator, the legendary Mexican artist Pedro Infante must prove that he is no longer a womanizer to enter paradise.

Nobody is going to tell you to calm down in this one. The anger is treated as information, which is all you need right now.

No rush to the other side

Midnight Sun movie poster
12
2018 · 92min · ★★★☆☆ 6.7/10

Katie, a 17-year-old, has been sheltered since childhood and confined to her house during the day by a rare disease that makes even the smallest amount of sunlight deadly. Fate intervenes when she meets Charlie and they embark on a summer romance.

It validates the feeling without resolving it too quickly. You will come out the other side with slightly less pressure, on your own schedule.

Justified

The anger will move when it's ready. These let it.

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