When I go to the wasteland of Netflix or Amazon, I usually end up choosing nothing. I am compiling this list so that you can have at least the names of some films that uplift rather than denigrate human consciousness.
I am defining a movie as mythic if it demonstrates spiritual principles, illuminates, uplifts, reveals, piques, or evokes conscious awareness. Due to my own sensitivities, I have tried to eliminate and/or note those films with violence unless it was not gratuitous and was a part of the revelation in the myth.
If you have other films you wish to have added to this list, please email me with their exact titles and a short blurb like these. I will view them and add them to future versions of this list.
All Movies Alphebetically
2001
I Am Sam
A very touching story about a retarded man who raises his daughter and the struggles they have with the legal system.
2004
I ♥ Huckabee’s
An environmental activist to investigate some odd occurrences in his life. A look at examining ones life with consciousness.
1994
Immortal Beloved
This is an amazing story of how a creative artist is inspired by a woman’s love. A story of unrequited love. A deep look into a creative genius’ (Beethoven’s) mind.
2005
Into The West
This Celtic story details our mythic longing for “homeâ€. Many touching moments in this film, not to speak of absolutely amazing horse footage.
1990
Joe Vs The Volcano
A young man’s rather shallow but nonetheless mythic quest to discover meaning in his otherwise dreary and meaningless life.
1973
Jonathan Livingstone Seagull
A movie about being uniquely yourself and following your own visions and dreams.
2001
K-Pax
A very enigmatic movie examining the issue of what is real through the eyes of someone claiming to be an alien.
2010
Karate Kid
Eastern philosophy, discipline, tenacity, right use of power, and the power of focused attention.
1995
King Of Masks
Chinese subtitled film is a deeply moving look at the prejudice toward females in China as seen through the eyes of a performer in passing on his gifts to a protégé.
1983
Krull
Great sets, mediocre acting, thin plot, but a spider woman scene that redeems the rest!
1991
L.A. Story
A talking cosmic freeway sign in LA bespeaks the absolutely insane lifestyle of LA that residents there call “life†and following the appropriate “signs†in life for magical guidance.
1985
Ladyhawke
A shape shifting myth about duality and the power of love.
1992
Leap Of Faith
Steve Martin as a dancing preacher. A bit sentimental, but funny +great gospel.
2015
Legend
How polarities interact to create spiritual evolution and the power of love taking you on the hero’s journey. (One of my all time favorite myths watch carefully in the last scene!)
2001
Life As A House
A dying father’s journey to reconcile with his teenage son before he dies. Kevin Klein give a great performance as the father.
2021
Life Of Pi
A lush sweep of imaginative beauty where one has difficulty determining which reality is real. It is magnificent footage of ocean and tiger and man. Extraordinary.
1992
Like Water For Chocolate
A humorous but accurate portrayal of the nature of alchemy, held in a romantic plot line of unrequited love and the alchemy of food.
2016
Lion
A miraculously moving film about loss and survival of a 5 year old in India and his quest to find his original family in India after he grows up as an adopted child in Australia. AWESOME!
1970
Little Big Man
About the sacredness of life to a Native American elder (quite violent)
1993
Little Buddha
The story of Prince Siddhartha in his transformation into the Buddha
1975
Love And Death
Woody Allen’s philosophical and funny exegesis on love and death.
1988
Mac And Me
Compassion toward those different than ourselves, in this case, ET’s..
1987
Made In Heaven
A delightful film about remembering and forgetting commitments made before this life. Simple romantic plot, but the metaphor holds for larger than romantic commitments!
1999
Man On The Moon
This is an extraordinary film from the point of view of looking at how we each have different “personas†that live in our inner pantheon. Jim Carrie offers a very vulnerable performance of several of his inner persona’s with very poignant results.
2005
March Of The Penguins
A touching nature documentary about the pilgrimage of penguins to give birth each year.
1994
Mask
The same theme as “Elephant Manâ€.
1992
Medicine Man
A look at the importance of preserving the rain forest for the gifts they offer us in healing. A little hokey, but interesting
1998
Meet Joe Black
Death incarnate is collecting another mortal whose time on earth has come to an end. Wanting to understand the human condition more, he takes on a mortal life with ? results.
1979
Meetings With Remarkable Men
About the life of the famous Russian mystic Gurdjeff and being on the Hero’s journey in life,clue tracking. Very slow, but valuable (hard to find)
2009
Men Who Stare At Goats
A rather dark and macabre comedy about remote viewing and using psychics as spies, but some interesting concepts are looked at in this film.
1985
Merlin And The Sword
Excalibur myth about a woman falling through dimensional realities and finding herself transported back in time,mythic truth represented,Love releasing all bonds.
1996
Michael
A lighthearted, fun film about a smoking, atypical angel.
1999
Midsummer Night’S Dream
An adaptation of Shakespeare’s classic comedy. Delightful entourage of fairies, satyrs and other mythical creatures. A playful look at love.
1996
Millennium
Time travel and past future orientation.
1990
Mindwalk
Is “My Dinner with Andre†of the new physics. Brilliant, slow moving, packed with insight about systems theory and how we are all one as viewed from the lensing of a politician, a physicist and a poet. Riveting acting performances from Liv Ulmann San Waterton and John Hurd.
2018
Mission
A disturbing movie about regret and forgiveness, the hypocrisy of religious moral values, and the misuse of power in the expediency of religious systems,(unfortunately very violent).
2001
Mists Of Avalon
A cheesy TV adaptation that does begin to touch on the storyline of Avalon.
2001
Monsoon Wedding
A colorful look at the days leading up to an Indian wedding. Very touching human drama.
2004
Moulin Rouge
A visually stunning look at Paris in the 1900’s about theater people.
2016
Mr. Church
A very unassuming film that touches the core of what “family†actually is and the nature of unconditional love as a lived reality. This film shines a brilliant light on the apotheosis that can be found in death and loss.
1990
Mr. Destiny
A light hearted movie about critical choice points and alternate destinies from choices.
2007
Mr. Magorium’S Wonder Emporium
A sweet, if not over simplified and somewhat cloying, story about believing in oneself. (However, Dustin Hoffman’s performance is worth seeing it.)
2018
Mr. Nobody
An AMAZING film about critical choice points in our journey and how differently life turns out due to ONE choice. It is about doubt, how doubting our choices affects the journey. Also looks at what is “real†and whether we are “awake†or “asleepâ€. Very consciousness provoking! (First scene in bathtub, you may wish to close your eyes. several energetically jarring scenes.)
1981
My Dinner With Andre
Highly intellectual exegesis on myth, magic, power and presence. Be prepared for NO action, slow movie from which brilliant insights emerge.
1989
My Left Foot
A poignant and touching look at the courage and will required for a severely handicapped being to surmount incredible odds to become a great scholar. (Can be a downer.)
2004
Napoleon Dynamite
An extremely funny look at a high school “geek†stumbling thru his teenage life mostly unaware. Some hysterical moments!
1994
Nell
The story of a young woman who raises herself when her mother dies in the backwoods of North Carolina. A gripping and emotionally rewarding film about someone’s interior life.
1983
Never Cry Wolf
An excellent documentary about a man’s vision quest in the wild with wolves. Exquisite footage of wolves in the wild!
1977
Oh God
This film with George Burns is an ageless story of the complications that result from someone’s interface with a human version of God.
1992
Out On A Limb
About following clues in unraveling your mythic quest in life, (Shirley McClain.)on YouTube Part #2 is more revelatory than part one which is mainly about relationship.
1998
Patch Adams
A very uplifting, factual story about a doctor using humor to heal people.
2000
Pay It Forward
This incredible performance shows the exponential possibility for change demonstrated by a 7th grader. Based a true story.
2006
Peaceful Warrior
This truly inspired account of a young athlete’s spiritual awakening (and a beautiful model of the illuminated blessing of an authentic teacher student relationship) is based on the true account from the Dan Millman book “The Way of the Peaceful Warriorâ€. The dream sequences and gems of spiritual insight were not forced, hokey or new agey. It was a masterfully filmed and portrayed experience of spiritual awakening! Highly Recommended!
1953
Peter Pan
A myth about forgetting your Divine Child and making the mistake of “growing upâ€, and accepting cultural norms instead of following your heart!
1996
Phenomenon
This story is how a being that has a transcendent experience with the light returns with an insatiable appetite to know.
2013
Philomena
A well crafted story about the distortion and misuse of power. It focuses on a young unwed mother who was forced to give up her child from a Catholic nunnery and her journey to find the child. A very moving story!
2018
Picnic At Hanging Rock
An historical, unsolved mystery that took place in Australia that involves the mysterious disappearance of several young girls, possibly into another dimension,very engaging historical mystery.
1995
Powder
A story about an enigmatic, white skinned albino child with extreme psychic abilities and sensitivities and how his gifts are treated by the 3D world. (in a broader metaphor, though many of us may not have looked as strange as Powder growing up, we felt that strange.)
2016
Queen Of Katwe
An uplifting film about finding your genius and believing in it. It is about a man who chooses to make a profound difference in African children’s lives through loving and supporting them through the medium of athletics and chess, rather than taking the alluring pay of an engineering job.
2010
Queen Of The Sun
An amazing documentary about bees and why they are so under threat right now on Earth.