Five great movies to watch at the start of a new year

Movies aren’t the first thing you think of when celebrating the end of the year. Your typical New Year’s Eve night out will include groups of friends hugging and drunkenly singing ‘Auld Lang Syne’, couples kissing considerably more passionately than they usually would in public, and perhaps a few people sitting on the pavement, having drunk too much too soon. We often put pressure on ourselves to have the perfect night so that we can perfectly welcome in the next year  – the one we claim will see us drop the bad habits and pick up books or rock climbing in their place. 

The reality is, as the clock strikes 12, you’re often hit with the realisation that you’re another year closer to death – and you’ve also achieved another year of failing to complete most of your resolutions. Well, this might be a realisation that comes the next morning, but regardless of when it finally hits you, it’s sure to send you into an existential spiral.

Luckily, films often have the antidote to these feelings, or they at least make them feel more bearable. The overwhelming possibilities that are available to you as a fresh new year stretches out ahead don’t have to be daunting. The films listed below suggest that, even through times of hardship and uncertainty, there is always hope to be found somewhere. If you need some inspiration for living a more carefree life, or perhaps a reminder to seek out new and exciting connections, these movies might do the trick.

So, from The Green Ray to Harold and Maude, here are five movies that are the perfect watches for the beginning of a new year.

Five great movies to watch at the start of a new year:

The Green Ray (Eric Rohmer, 1986)

It’s okay to enter the year feeling completely and utterly lost. The pressure of knowing who you are, what you want out of life, and who you can call your closest friends often feels amplified during the start of the year. As everyone writes their goals, it can be easy to slip into a state of uncertainty and fear. For Delphine in The Green Ray, the arrival of the summer holidays – and a breakup –makes her realise that she doesn’t know who to turn to or where to go. She spends time attempting to holiday with several people, including some family, and then some friends, only to feel adrift no matter who she is with or where she goes.

Delphine does a fair bit of wandering around in nature, sometimes crying, desperate to feel a sense of comfort and connection. Eric Rohmer’s film shows us that sometimes, finding people you feel at home with can be hard, but there are endless opportunities out there to do so. Harnessing your faith in an idea bathed in magic, like seeing the green ray phenomenon, is sometimes enough to keep us going. The Green Ray ends on an optimistic note, offering us a moment of hope, and perhaps watching the film at the start of the year will remind anyone who needs to hear it that the search for happiness is always rewarding in ways you often can’t predict.

The Gleaners and I (Agnes Varda, 2000)

If your New Year’s Resolutions include being more creative, spending less, or worrying less about what you look like (particularly if you’re a woman scared of ageing), look no further than The Gleaners and I. Agnes Varda’s documentary sees her meet with various people from all walks of life as she interprets the word ‘gleaning’ in different ways. From people who happily eat out of bins to artists who collect scrap from the sides of the streets to those who collect leftover potatoes from fields out of economic necessity, Varda’s interviews illuminate the importance of being more mindful and open. 

Varda blends her interviews with a self-portrait of her wrinkling face and hands and greying hair, while also weaving in parallels to old paintings, mould patches, and souvenirs. The empathy and curiosity that fill Varda’s film, paired with the interesting and varied people she talks to, make the feature both thought-provoking and simply joyous. She points out the bad alongside the good, but you will almost certainly walk away from the movie feeling more conscious of what you consume, how you use what you already have, and appreciative of the array of people that make the world so bright and unique. 

Little Miss Sunshine (Valerie Faris, Jonathan Dayton, 2006)

Being part of a family can often be hard. It’s easy to take family members for granted, especially when you find yourself clashing or holding different beliefs. Yet, if Little Miss Sunshine teaches us anything, it’s that if there are good people in your life, cherish them – and don’t take life too seriously. The 2006 tragicomedy throws its fair share of upsets and disasters towards the Hoover family, from death and life-changing information to a faulty van. Still, they keep going, even when optimism is running dry. There are many tender moments throughout Little Miss Sunshine, which will surely make you appreciate the people you have in your life, whether that be your blood relatives or your chosen family. 

Over the course of the film – which sees the family travel from New Mexico to California so that the youngest child, Olive, can compete in a beauty pageant – we watch characters have their own revelations as they’re confronted with personal and familial challenges. The movie emphasises the true meaning of looking out for those you love, standing up for your beliefs, and doing what makes you happy in the face of opposition. Watch this near the start of a new year, and you’ll surely be inspired to live a little more freely. 

Amélie (Jean-Pierre Jeunet, 2001)

It’s never a bad thing to start your year with a whimsical French romantic comedy-drama. Amélie, released in 2001, has endured for almost 25 years – for good reason. The movie is a visual feast, painted in hues of greens, reds, and yellows, which gives it a nostalgic and warm quality that encourages us to think about our lives, past and present. At the heart of the movie is the titular character, played by Audrey Tautou, who gives a charming performance as the curious, imaginative, and empathetic heroine, reminding us to carry a little bit of childlike wonder and cheekiness with us, no matter how old we get.

Amélie is a film about the powers of connection with others and the beauty found in everyday life, yet it never feels saccharine. Instead, the movie immerses us in Amelie’s life exactly how she sees it, including her love of sticking her fingers in bags of grain, skimming stones, and imagining how many people in the city are having sex at one specific moment. Her quirks are displayed – many of which she’s had since childhood – reminding us that we, too, should view life in our own unique way and live authentically. 

Harold and Maude (Hal Ashby, 1971)

Unconventionality is the main theme of Harold and Maude, Hal Ashby’s charming comedy-drama which encourages viewers to get used to looking outside the box. The film follows Harold, a young man obsessed with death, and Maude, a much older woman obsessed with life, as they begin a relationship and become dramatically changed by each other’s presence. It’s a life-affirming film, albeit one that might shock you with its age-gap relationship, bleak humour, and unorthodox way of approaching the everyday.

If you prefer watching films that are a little dark, Harold and Maude blends the best of both worlds by offering up poignant, emotional, and simultaneously inspiring themes. You might find yourself crying at the film’s end, but only because Ashby reminds us of what really matters: living a full life. The song that closes the movie, Cat Stevens’ ‘If You Want to Sing Out, Sing Out’, emphasises this by telling us, “And if you want to be free, be free/ ‘Cause there’s a million things to be.”

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