Movies to Keep You Sane Amid the Insanity

Living on campus during a pandemic is strange. No events and large gatherings in general means we residents have to find other ways to entertain ourselves. And as a Media and Communication student with too much time and two guests allowed at a time in my apartment, I’ve been watching a lot of movies. About 40 since the semester started, to be more precise. Here are some that I’ve watched with my pals during this semester—the ones that have kept me sane. 

I watched this two times in a row with different people, and (mostly) everyone cried. You don’t even need to be an anime fan to enjoy it. It has beautiful visuals and compelling stories, which follow the lives of two teenagers who end up switching places when they sleep. Throughout the film they try to find one another, experiencing love and despair along the way. I can’t reveal too much for fear of giving everything away, but this movie is so worth it if you want to feel happiness, sadness, love, hope, and bawl with a bunch of your friends at midnight. 

Hear me out—this one is amazing if you have no idea what to watch and you’ve been scrolling through streaming services with your friends for 20 minutes. It follows a pastor who gains the ability to turn into a velociraptor. Throughout the 75-minute flick, the velocipastor fights ninjas and finds love. I think I’ve seen this over three times, and every time is better. If you ever find yourself super bored on campus, please do yourself a favor, gather ’round your computer or TV, and put this on. 

I watched this one with my English major friend, which certainly sparked some philosophical discussion. The film is about a heartbroken Joel Barish, who found out his girlfriend had a procedure to erase the memories of him from her mind. He decided to undergo the procedure himself and grapples with their relationship as the memories fade away. It’s beautiful and will make you question the meaning of life and love. Media majors will especially love this cult classic. 

I’m sure lots of people have seen this one, but it’s a notable mention, and your Art major friends will adore it. This 119-minute film follows Sophie, cursed by a witch to be an old woman. She tries to break the spell with the help of an exuberant wizard and his companions in his walking castle. Every second of this film is beautiful, down to the story and the animation. If you need inspiration, whether you’re a Media major making a film or an Art major working on your next project, this is where you’ll find it. 

Creep is a found-footage horror film about a videographer assigned to shoot an eccentric man who claims he wants to make a documentary for his unborn son. It sounds pretty standard, but this film is amazing. It utilizes uncomfortable silence to evoke suspense and is almost entirely improvised, giving it a very real, human element. Both Creep and Creep 2 are relatively short, too, making them a great start to a weekend horror movie marathon after a hard week of classes. 

These are all my recommendations! I hope they help you guys ease the tension of a semester that’s more stressful than usual, and gives you some good ideas for how to have fun in the midst of COVID-19.