1.
Florida Project-Invisibility of the lower class;
lower class stretches across color lines; incredible and unexpected capability
of children to maintain innocence
2.
Baby Driver-Possibility of redemption; neither
criminals nor life in general can be trusted rendering future planning
pointless; nature vs nurture (Baby’s influenced by being raised by a deaf man
and having no parents, yet has natural ability)
3.
Big Sick-Religious tradition vs. decisions about
marriage are never easy; effect of family/parents is inescapable; power of
camaraderie/comedy to combat suffering
4.
Dinner with Beatriz-Capitalism as inevitable
enemy of good; complicitness vs obedience of social mores; female intuition vs. male capitalist-based thought
5.
American Made-The universality and thinness of
the American Dream (Seal's life is so exciting because everyone can envy what he has), draconian nature of American bureaucracy; opportunity
favors the bold (and perhaps a better chance at fortune as the original proverb
states)
6.
Beguiled-Sexuality as a legitimate danger to
youthful development; underlying violence behind sexuality; emasculation
7.
Lost City of Z-The pursuit of new knowledge can
be worth even more than human life; challenging the Euro-centric view of the
third world; sacrifice of greatness (in this case, the protagonist is an absent husband
and father)
8.
Murder on the Orient Express-Illegal isn’t
always wrong; the ripple effect of an evil act (one man’s kidnapping plot has destroyed
so many lives); Inevitability of being caught for a crime (more of a fictional
trope than something that happens in real life)
9.
Logan Lucky-Creating your own luck in the face
of socio-economic expectations;
Karma/morally relative universe; challenging red-state stereotypes (the idea that the family is cursed fits in with our idea of how red staters are disadvantaged)
10.
Mudbound-Prejudice is cyclic and inherited like
poverty; war buddies as a metaphor of understanding through shared experience;
the scarring effect of racial hostility (in this case, the metaphor is enforced literally)
11.
Wind River-Invisibility of Native Americans; the
danger of male sexual aggression when left unchecked; Community can be adopted
and that can be good
12.
Dunkirk-War makes human life fragile; war as a
time and place that creates heroes for those who step up; honoring the
greatness of those who fought and contributed to the war effort (if these
themes don’t strike you as very complex, it also should be noted, I didn’t
think Dunkirk had much to say outside of special effects)
13.
Circle-Beware of utopia; the costs to emotional
connection in living your life online; the addictive nature of sharing yourself
and the dangerous consequences
14.
Wonder Wheel-Love and morality are two different
spheres (taken to its logical conclusion, Allen argues in favor of wronging someone
if you’re following your heart); the promise of a better future as a driving
force to get one through the day (it worked positively for Humpty and Carolina
and led to Carolina’s downfall); love and jealousy being intertwined
15.
Cars III-How a heroic figure deals with aging;
self-determination vs corporate interests; power of self-belief in victory
16.
Wonder Woman-Women as keepers of security; fruitlessness
of war; maturation through the classic odyssey (as in leaving your homeland and
going into the unknown a la Homer’s epic)
17.
Deidra and Laney Rob a Train-The increase in
pressure to succeed when you’re in poverty; the cyclical nature of poverty vs
the power of family (in this film, sticking together as a family and being
supportive helps them fight poverty); legally wrong vs morally wrong
18.
The House-Legally wrong vs morally wrong; the
stifling financial burden placed on the American middle class; the thrill of
illegality
19.
Colossal-He who brings peace to himself brings
peace to all the universe (this comes from a Hebrew prayer); cross-culture cultural consumption
as an alien force; redemption
20.
Little Hours-Destructive libido can appear in
women as well as men; questioning whether human sexual suppression has matured
throughout history; be careful what you wish for
21.
Get Out-The limits of white allies to the black
rights movement; the reduction of blacks in the genre; the American black
experience being fundamentally different than the white experience through
perception of others
22.
Kong Skull Island-The dangers of the militaristic
mindset; the essential goodness of nature (even though, in this case, it’s
presented through laughable means); human inclination to fear nature when it’s
large and foreboding
23.
Atomic Blonde-The capability of the female as action
hero; betrayal as part of human nature; war begets cynicism
24.
How to be a Latin Lover-Valuing love for your
family (of birth) over romantic goals; value of sincerity in courting; don’t be
defined by age
25.
The Great Wall-Challenging history from a Euro-centric
view; contributions of both genders in war; positive power of cultural
assimilation (the Matt Damon hero is empowered in war through learning Chinese
ways of warfare)
26.
The Discovery-Dark side of scientific progress; possibility
of love in dark times; genius is blind (the man who invented the afterlife
couldn’t foresee the effects)
