As we all know, the right kind of movie can give us feelings of hope that rekindle the strength to reach our highest potential in life; it can encourage us to create, inspire, and dream about what we are able to do with the power we possess as human beings.

The following films are among many masterpieces that push us toward a positive outlook, helping us to reach a state of optimism and to find our own silver lining.

The Perks of Being a Wallflower

A high school student named Charlie experiences the highs and lows of his young life as he starts to discover friendships he’s never known and changes in life that he could never have anticipated. Even though Charlie is going through these new challenges, the support he receives from his new-found friends encourages him to look to the future with the highest positive mentality and find hope.

Begin Again

An aspiring singer named Gretta goes through her own journey after a producer named Dan makes it a point to help her create an album that will be accepted, not only by Dan’s music company, but also by the general public. Like any other artist, Gretta experiences personal difficulty (such as her strained relationship with her ex-boyfriend), but she is able to move past this, see the break in the clouds, and reach success with Dan’s support.

Warm Bodies

A zombie simply named R falls for a young woman named Julie who is still living as a human being. As a zombie, R lives a life that has no direction; in meeting Julie, he discovers a sense of humanity that is still left inside him, allowing him to strive for a more positive sense of purpose and see the light at the end of the tunnel.

(500) Days of Summer

An aspiring architect named Tom is in a relationship with a girl named Summer which spans over 500 days and is presented over the course of the film. Like in many movies centering on a relationship, the two eventually part ways. Despite this circumstance, I strongly regard this movie as one that can lead us to find the bright side in our lives, as Tom is eventually able to find the strength and positive mentality to move forward in his life.

Silver Linings Playbook

A man named Pat struggles with his own mental health as he attempts to live the rest of his life in a more positive light. This film carries its own significance, not only in capturing the common theme of these five films so directly, but also due to how Pat’s mental struggle influences his encouragement to view the aspects of his life with a positive perception rather than a negative one.