The subject of immortality is a popular theme to explore in fiction. It’s something that everyone thinks about or at the very least finds interesting. Since movies are a visual medium, it becomes even more powerful when the idea of immortality is explored on screen. It’s easy to project yourself onto a character grappling with such a concept, and for the duration of a movie, we too can experience what an immortal being might feel for eternity.
The best films that deal with the concept of living forever explore it by unpacking the positives and negatives. There may be wonderful things to live forever, but at the same time there would be aspects that would be heartbreaking and horrifying.
“Wings of Desire” (1987)
wings of desire is a fantasy/romance film that follows two angels who observe humanity from a distance. They are able to see a person’s every move and even read their thoughts, but must do so from a distance…at least that’s how it’s supposed to be, because eventually one of the angels decides to do not do it.
He fell in love with one of the people he watches over, but to know her personally would be like giving up being an angel and becoming mortal. In this way, wings of desire explores how lonely it would be to be immortal. You might be able to learn and see everything, but the way all the other mortals around you came and went would assure you of a lonely, often distant existence.
“Death Becomes Her” (1992)
Whereas Death becomes her takes a wackier, more comedic look at the ups and downs of immortality, it still does it quite effectively. Essentially, the plot centers on two women who are both rivals – professionally and romantically – and what happens to said rivalry when the two become immortal.
At first there is the power of drinking a potion that allows you to live forever, but the consequences become apparent fairly quickly. It’s great power wielded with anything but great responsibility, much of the film’s dark humor stemming from the fact that both women can still have their bodies damaged, even if horrific injuries don’t kill them. It’s absurd, a little crude and quite funny, while exploring immortality in an interesting way.
‘Toy Story 2’ (1999)
Let Pixar make a children’s movie in which the main character faces one of the hardest decisions imaginable: does he want to live his life as he was, knowing that one day he will be forgotten or destroyed, or does he want to live forever and always remember (albeit from a distance) without any personal relationship with anyone?
That’s what Woody (tom hank) must choose from toy story 2, and it’s a pretty haunting dilemma for a family movie when you think about it. Being inside a glass case in a museum would allow him to effectively live forever, but it would mean never playing with Andy, or any other children, and it would also mean never saying goodbye to old friends. This mature exploration of living forever versus living a shorter, more rewarding life is just one reason why toy story 2 is one of Pixar’s best films.
‘The Fountain’ (2006)
Fountain is an atypical and original film from a visionary director Darren Aronofsky. It tells three separate stories that all represent the cyclical nature of life, over years, decades, and centuries, with its most famous story focusing on a scientist who struggles to find a cure for his brain cancer. woman.
It unpacks the conflict between accepting death and wanting to live forever in a way that’s not always easy to understand, and in the process, Fountain is a complex and sometimes confusing film. However, you can’t blame it for its ambition, and even if you don’t fully understand it, the central themes explored shine through.
“Groundhog Day” (1993)
The classic 1993 comedy groundhog day doesn’t seem to be explicitly about immortality at first. Initially, he appears to be a jaded weatherman stuck on a mission he hates in a city he hates even more…until it’s revealed he’s actually stuck in a loop. temporal and lives the same horrible day over and over again, with no far from town, and no way out of that single day.
Because the day spins endlessly and Phil Connors (Bill Murray) retains all of his memories, he achieves a kind of immortality, thanks to the time loop. There are fun things about this kind of immortality, but it comes with a lot of gruesome baggage, which this film expertly explores, becoming an unconventional look at some sort of eternal life.
“The Lord of the Rings” trilogy (2001-2003)
The Lord of the Rings, as a trilogy, centers on a quest to destroy a ring that, if not destroyed, would lead to the destruction of the world. The Ring is an awesome and terrible thing, for what it has done and could do in the wrong hands, as it can corrupt minds and artificially prolong life.
This happens most clearly with Sméagol/Gollum (represented by Andy Serkis), who is driven insane by the Ring and becomes a shell of himself, even though it allows him to live hundreds of years. Elsewhere, other characters manage their long lives more effectively, such as Gandalf (Sir Ian McKellen) and most elves. The series as a whole shows the good and bad of being immortal in a fantasy world.
“It’s Such a Beautiful Day” (2012)
A surreal film, sometimes funny, but above all moving, It’s a beautiful day has minimalist animation and a simple basic story, though it grapples with heavy themes throughout its brief (but punchy) 60-minute runtime.
It’s a strongly existential film, with a sequence imagining what would happen to the main character if he lived forever. Although short and far from the whole film, it leaves a huge impact, as lowly Bill learns all there is to know, falls in love and falls in love hundreds of times, and even outlives the world on his own. itself, ultimately destined to float. isolated in space forever. It’s a beautiful day pushes the idea of immortality to its breaking point, creating some truly thought-provoking elements.
‘Nosferatu the Vampire’ (1979)
Directed by an expert documentary maker/feature filmmaker Werner Herzog, Nosferatu the Vampire is one of his best films. It’s a remake of the silent horror movie classic Nosferatus but updated to feel a bit more biting (pun intended) when it comes to its violence and thematic weight.
Part of that comes from delving into how a vampire would feel if they were blessed – or cursed – with eternal life. While Dracula (Klaus Kinsky) is the film’s antagonist, he’s also explored in a surprisingly sympathetic way, with the film going to great lengths to show how lonely his endless life is and how he finds it impossible to find a connection with humans due to its state.
“The Immortal’s Blade” (2017)
A remarkable samurai film that was not directed by the great Akira Kurosawa, Immortal’s Blade focuses on…well, an immortal samurai, and he has a blade. And he uses this blade during violent and prolonged action sequences (mostly found in the opening and closing scenes of the film).
The benefits of immortality here are more exciting to the audience than the main character. Basically, that means huge action scenes where he can take all the damage thrown at him. For the main character, however, being immortal is detrimental and isolating, suggesting that the novelty of not being able to die might be fun, say, for the duration of a movie, but would exhaust its reception in real life.
‘Highlanders’ (1986)
mountaineer could be the definitive movie about immortality. It’s a 1980s action/fantasy film about immortal rivals who have fought through the centuries, with sword decapitation being the only way to die.
Notably, it features a queensong that basically states the movie’s message: “Who wants to live forever?” There may be benefits, but seeing loved ones die while remaining alive is incredibly painful. Ironically, the show may soon be rebooting, suggesting the producers want the show to achieve immortality even if the characters don’t want to live forever.
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10 Great Movies That Explore The Wonders And Horrors Of Immortality – GameSpot
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