When life gets chaotic and busy, we forget the power that kindness holds. Recent releases in movies and books creatively remind us of the power of exercising humanity.
“The Wild Robot”
If you can take a trip to the theater, “The Wild Robot” can tug your heartstrings. It is a kid’s movie, but that shouldn’t hinder your expectations. Remember “Turbo” and “Trolls?” Dreamworks has a way with words that will always make you emotional. This movie made me cry several times in the theater. Not only is it a visually stunning movie, but a beautiful story as well.
The movie is centered on Roz, voiced by Academy Award-winning actress Lupita Nyong’o, a robot who finds themselves in the island wilderness. Through a series of unfortunate events, she finds an orphaned gosling. Her mission is to take care of and raise this gosling, helping him learn to fly by falling. It’s heartwarming yet goofy. By the of the film, what kindness can do for humanity is demonstrated and why it’s important to hold on to– a valuable lesson for all.
“Inside Out 2”
“Inside Out 2” will evoke similar emotions. This movie follows Riley as she goes through puberty and all of the changes that come along with it. As a psychology major, I found the movie to be monumental in helping children better understand their emotions. Anxiety, one of Riley’s powerful new emotions, is a common mental illness and an even more common response people can experience.
Personifying anxiety allows the audience to understand it instead of pushing it away and trying to ignore it. The movie taught viewers to accept those feelings as they are, living in harmony with all of their emotions, from joy to anxiety. It is available on Disney+.
“The Lion Women of Tehran”
“The Lion Women of Tehran” by Marjan Kamala is one of the most impactful stories I’ve ever read. It is a beautiful and heartbreaking narrative about two completely different women becoming friends, even sisters. It tracks their journey through life as Iranian women in the 1950s.
Kamala follows the women’s stories, as well as the politics of Iran at the time and its effects on them. Although this is a work of fiction, I genuinely learned a lot from this book and felt deeply connected to the two main characters. Boasting a 4.49 out of 5-star rating on Goodreads, this has high potential to achieve the “Book of the Year” award. Due to the sensitive nature of the issues explored in this novel, I encourage readers to consider the trigger warnings, but it’s a must-read.
“The Return of Ellie Black”
Everybody needs a great thriller to binge during this time of year, and “The Return of Ellie Black” by Emiko Jean will scratch that itch. Most thrillers center around people who are already dead, but Jean focuses on the return of somebody two years after they were presumed dead. I loved this angle. It was incredibly dark and depressing, but also enthralling. It appealed to the psychology student side of me, leaning into the “why” behind the events and characters in the book.
On the surface, it seems like a classic thriller, but you learn much more about how the aftermath of the situation affects Ellie. Jean emphasizes the importance of being kind to everybody we encounter because we never know what they have experienced in their lives. I truly did not see the twists in this book coming. “The Return of Ellie Black” did nothing to help my fears about being a woman in our society, but I couldn’t put it down. Be warned that reading trigger warnings for this novel is extremely important.
It doesn’t matter if it’s a children’s book or movie, a scary story or a historical fiction novel—the importance of kindness and empathy toward others are two important lessons for all ages. And the media we consume reflects that. Beyond these recommendations, I encourage readers to find media that’s both entertaining and educational. Don’t be afraid to branch away from your comfort shows or series.