6 Philosophical Films About Identity You Can’t Miss

Was the famous British director Alfred Hitchcock right when he said that ” cinema is not a piece of life, it is a piece of cake “? Many fans of the big screen see the very existence of the human being captured on cameras.

Today we are talking about 6 philosophical films on identity, to understand if the master of suspense was right.

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind

Some “higher brain” decided to translate the title of this Spike Jonze film as “If you leave me, I delete you” in Italian. A great nonsense to better place the leading actor, Jim Carrey, on the market, as if it were one of his usual comedies. In reality, however, it has absolutely nothing to do with it.

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind tells the story of a man who is unable to forget a person who lives so deeply in his mind that it seems to touch his soul.

The suffering of the protagonist is represented in this incredible film as if it were a mental labyrinth.

Is it possible for someone to become so important in our life that they determine our personal identity? According to this film, it would seem so.

Gattaca- The door to the universe

Now let’s talk about Gattaca, a masterpiece of science fiction directed with great skill by Andrew Niccol.

In a future world, the story of Gattaca shows how dreams and willpower can lead an individual to overcome any obstacle.

Another important moral that we find in the film has to do with life seen as a competition. Never save anything for return and put all your will and passion into what you do.

Memento

Memento is the film that launched the now famous Christopher Nolan towards the successful directorial career he has today.

In this case, we are talking about a man with a short-term memory who needs to understand how he got to the present situation he is in. The film is told in reverse, from the end to the beginning, and the tattoos that the protagonist gets to remember are witnesses of the narration.

Do we deceive ourselves to make sense of everything we don’t understand? Maybe yes and Memento is a clear example of this.

The last temptation of Christ

The last temptation of Christ was the controversial film adaptation signed by Martin Scorsese of the homonymous novel by the Greek writer Nikos Kazantakis.

The sufferings of a Jesus Christ unable to believe in himself to face his role in history show a man unable to find his place in the world, losing his identity along the way.

Is there a destiny that we must fulfill in life? Are our identity and development guided by a higher plane that we cannot see? Should we follow fate, even if our dreams tell us otherwise?

Matrix

Now let’s talk about the famous work of the Wachowski brothers which sees as the protagonist Keanu Reeves: Matrix.

Can you imagine one day discovering that the world you live in is false? Is it possible to believe that everything around us is virtual and created in our image to satisfy basic needs? What if you find out that you are the Chosen One?

Who are we actually? Were we born for a very specific purpose that we do not yet know? Do we create our identity throughout our life or will we never find out what our true purpose in the world is?

Excalibur

We conclude our article with an English film by John Boorman, Excalibur , in which the Arthurian legends that unfold around Camelot are told. Arthur was born with a destiny: to be king and to unify all the lands surrounding Camelot.

Excalibur is full of symbolisms related to identity. A round table around which no one is better than the others. A king torn between his obligations as monarch and his life as a husband, an allegory that revolves around friendship and trust.

The broad mythological significance represented by this film is still worthy of intense study today.

The people around us, the sense of belonging, the dreams and goals of life or our pursuit of stability and happiness, are represented in an incredible way by these films.

Do you think Hitchcock was right?