All of us are currently stuck at home with piles of work, but what do you do once you finish it? You sit there, aimlessly browsing the Netflix homepage, trying to find something to watch. Well, we’ve got some movie suggestions for you to check out if you’re stumped on what to watch (don’t worry, we won’t include any spoilers)!
1. Five Feet Apart
Genre: Drama, Romance
Length: 1 hr 57 m
Available on: Google Play and Amazon Prime Video
This movie follows Stella Grant as a 17-year-old with cystic fibrosis. If you do not know, cystic fibrosis is a genetically transmitted disease that affects the way your body creates mucus, which is a substance that helps your organs and systems work. Normally, mucus is slippery and thin, but for those with cystic fibrosis, it has a thick, somewhat glue-like consistency. This causes issues once it builds up, such as infections, cysts, and trouble breathing. She lives out her life in the hospital, taking care to follow the procedures and routines necessary. One day though, it all changes when William Newman, another teen with cystic fibrosis, arrives at the hospital for a medication trial. At first, their relationship is a bit strained, as Stella instantly dislikes his disregard for the procedures. Once she convinces him to do so, the two begin falling for one another, but it is all made difficult by one rule: Two patients with cystic fibrosis are not allowed to be closer than six feet from one another.
Overall, I found this movie quite charming. It was interesting to learn about the struggles of life with cystic fibrosis, as well as seeing how their relationship progressed and how they handled their restrictions. One of the things that did seem kind of reckless, despite the sweet message behind it, was a choice Stella made regarding the six feet apart rule. Of course, I won’t explicitly say what it is — you’ll have to see for yourself if you watch it — but I feel like it was a bit of a dangerous decision on her part. The ending was bittersweet but expected, especially after what preceded it.
2. Spirited Away
Genre: Animated, Fantasy, Adventure
Length: 2 hrs 5 m
Available on: Netflix
Spirited Away shows us what happens to Chihiro Ogino when she accidentally gets trapped in the spirit world. It all starts when her father decides to take a shortcut through a town that ends up transporting them to the spirit world. He decides to explore the place, despite Chihiro’s opposition. They soon find a deserted stall packed with food, which her parents immediately start devouring. They try to get her to eat as well, but she has a bad feeling about doing so, and she walks away. While she wanders, she comes across a boy named Haku, who warns her that she must cross the river again before dusk. She goes back to find her parents but finds that they have transformed into pigs, and the river is now flooded and too dangerous to cross. Haku finds her once more and gives her food from the spirit world to keep her from disappearing. From there, he tries to get her a job at a spirit world bathhouse. She’s hired, but the bathhouse owner, Yubaba, takes the second kanji in her name. This turns her name from Chihiro (千尋) to Sen (千). The rest of the movie follows her endeavors as she works at the bathhouse and tries to escape the spirit world and save her parents.
I really enjoyed this movie. It was intriguing to see all of the spirits and people that Chihiro encountered throughout her adventure. It’s certainly a very interesting fantasy story. Visually, I love the art style of the movie and the stunning backgrounds it offers. Almost every scene is accompanied by a beautiful background. The character designs of the various spirits, like No-Face, were quite diverse and unique.
3. Spiderman: Far From Home
Genre: Action, Adventure
Length: 2 hrs 9 m
Available on: Google Play
Although this film is part of a cinematic universe, it doesn’t exactly need the context to be enjoyed, so it is still on this list.
This continuation of the new Spiderman movies follows Peter Parker, otherwise known as the hero Spiderman, as he goes on a class trip to Europe. Unfortunately for him though, things are not that simple. As soon as he gets to Venice, Italy, the water levels in the canal start rising materializing into an Elemental; an alien creature that was brought over to Earth after the events of Avengers: Endgame. It is a third of four, each of which represents a different element (Earth, Air, Water, and Fire). With the help of otherworldly hero, Mysterio, Peter must help him defeat the Fire Elemental and prevent Earth’s demise at its hands.
Spiderman: Far From Home was quite fun to watch. The action was engaging, and wasn’t ever boring as it wasn’t just fight scenes. The plot was interesting, and the twists and turns that add to the story of the universe are surprising, to say the least. I truly didn’t see any of them coming!
4. Your Name
Genre: Animated, Romance
Length: 1 hr 52 m
Available on: Google Play and Netflix
Your Name tells the story of Mitsuha Miyamizu, a girl living in the rural town of Itomori and Taki Tachibana, a boy living in Tokyo. Mitsuha is bored of living in such a small town and wishes to be a boy in her next life. Then, suddenly, they begin to switch bodies when they wake up each morning. Soon they yearn to meet the other in person and learn their name, but things get complicated.
Overall, it’s a good movie, and the art and style are beautiful. The only downside to it is that the timeline is a bit confusing and hard to understand. Upon looking it up it makes a bit more sense, but be ready to take that into account when you watch it.
And there you have it: four movies you can watch in your free time. Well, get your popcorn ready and get to watching!
By Victoria
The ECA Echo 