Real-time experiences are always authentic no matter how appealing fiction can be. Documentaries set a high bar in the entertainment industry when they are presented on stage because they have a connection to real emotion through real events and humans like us. There are many excellent movies based on real-life incidents so compelling that will shake you upside down. Also being a part of history reality-based movies provides you with information about what happened in the past. These kinds of movies always fill the audience with amazement and inspiration because life is an ocean of hardships but you have to balance your boat whenever the storm strikes you. So adding these amazing movies to your watchlist can be your slice of motivation.

THE PURSUIT OF HAPPINESS

The pursuit of happiness is a hilarious drama based on the life story of Chris Gardner and his struggles with life as a salesman in San Francisco battling with growing financial demands leaving him homeless with his toddler son. He sells scanners to buy food for his son and interns at Dean Witter to get a permanent position as a stockbroker. Will Smith played an outstanding role in the movie poised to take a new challenging profession while taking care of his son. Through the image of Smith, Gardner’s original self has been portrayed that will wretch your heart later giving you peace. This movie received fairly positive reviews about how one man navigated his path through struggle and kept his son in good spirits during his chaotic life. From the night in a public washroom to the ownership of a multimillion-dollar brokerage firm is something we can call a success story. 

STARRING:  Will Smith, Jaden Smith, Brian Howe, Thandiwe Newton, Dan Castellaneta, James Karen, Takayo Fischer, & Kurt Fuller

RELEASE: December 15, 2006

DIRECTION: Gabriele Muccino

MIRACLES FROM HEAVEN

Miracles from heaven is an emotional ride of an American family whose ten years old daughter is diagnosed with a rare disease therefore incurable. The movie tells the true story of Annabelle Beam who goes through excruciating pain and extensive treatment while her mother Christy Beam remains persistent to save her beloved daughter’s life. After suffering for four long years Anna is miraculously healed falling to the base of the cottonwood tree. Dr. Nurko and her family are shocked to find that her fatal disease has been healed and she is released from the hospital. Then Anna tells her parents about the experience after she went unconscious inside the tree that she visited heaven and God cured her telling her that she will no more be in pain. The story came to be successful and became the eighth top-grossing Christian movie in the United States. Jennifer Garner and Kylie Rogers have performed explicitly and made the audience believe that miracles do exist. 

STARRING: Jennifer Garner, Martin Henderson, Kylie Rogers, Eugenio Derbez, John Carroll Lynch, & Queen Latifah

RELEASE: February 21, 2016 

DIRECTION: Patricia Riggen

THE THEORY OF EVERYTHING

The theory of everything is a heartwarming life story of Stephen Hawking who was a world-renowned English theoretical physicist, cosmologist, and author. The movie is based on the personal life of Hawking who is diagnosed with a neurodegenerative disease in the beginning year of his Ph.D. program. Stephen struggles throughout his life with disruptive body conditions but his wife Jane supports him. Unaffected by his condition he proceeds on influencing the world with his talent researching on black holes and receives numerous honors for his contribution to Science. Stephen’s story is an example that nothing can stop you from achieving your dreams as he lives for more than 50 years, refuting all the predictions of doctors. Theatre responses were rapturous and the movie garnered many awards including the ‘Global Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Drama’ for Eddie Redmayne who was highly praised for his astonishing role. 

STARRING: Eddie Redmayne, Emily Watson, Charlie Cox, Felicity Jones,Simon McBurney, Maxine Peake, & David Thewlis,

RELEASE: November 7, 2014

DIRECTION: James Marsh

HIDDEN FIGURES

is a groundbreaking biography film based on the novel by Margot Lee Shetterly. The movie depicts the life of African-American females who works at Langley Research Center in Hampton, NASA and face racial discrimination. This true story of young women standing up to this prejudice against black women shows that talent is out of every social boundary and tells that obstacles are a way to success. They together eliminated segregation through true potential and hard work becoming

one of the esteemed figures of history. Katherine Johnson, Mary Jackson, and Dorothy Vaughan were known as “human computers” for their true potential in mathematics. After the movie was released, the audience appreciated the presentation of the storyline by the actors and writer. It was also a commercial success earning $236 million and becoming one of the top 10 movies in the year 2016. 

STARRING: Taraji P. Henson, Janelle Monáe, Kirsten Dunst, Jim Parsons, Octavia Spencer, Aldis Hodge, Kevin Costner, Mahershala Ali, & Glen Powell

RELEASE: December 25, 2016

DIRECTION: Theodore Melfi 

TICK, TICK… BOOM!

This movie is one of the best movies released on Netflix portraying the autobiographical musical by Jonathan Larson. The movie addresses the emotional fluxes of an aspiring music composer living in New York City facing difficulties with his goal of becoming a great musician someday. He is feeling the pressure of life as his relationships complicate with growing age and he is about to turn 30 with an unsuccessful career whereas his friends are becoming stable in life. This musical drama throws light on the upheaval in the life of an artist whose career is not growing as time ticks because of the AIDs pandemic damaging the country. The movie questions the role of time in human life and what they should do with it as it’s fleeting fastly. The film was critically acclaimed on its release, nominated for Best Motion Picture and Best Actor – Musical or Comedy at the 79th Golden Globe Awards. 

STARRING: Andrew Garfield, Robin de Jesús, Alexandra Shipp, Judith Light, Vanessa Hudgens, & Joshua Henry

RELEASE: November 10, 2021

DIRECTION: Lin-Manuel Miranda