Whilst Hollywood has provided us all with many examples of great cinematic escapism, sometimes we have to look a little further afield to find movies that can supply us with a little more spiritual nourishment.
And thankfully due to the arrival of online technologies, it’s now relatively simple for anyone to use Netflix or YouTube to hunt down some great foreign movies that can show the lighter side of casino culture and remind us to live our lives like each day was the last.
Where better to start than by watching the glorious French movie Amélie? Starring the always-impressive Audrey Tautou, it follows the exploits of a young woman as she subtly orchestrates the lives of the people living around her.
What makes the 2001 movie such an enduring hit is the way that it focuses on the details of normal life that serve as a timely reminder how important our everyday decisions are in shaping our futures. And with the welcome news that an Amelie musical may soon be on the way, it looks like the warm-hearted influence of this film will continue to spread all over the world.
Whilst the exploits of a young woman wandering around the streets of Paris may sound like the recipe for feel-good success, the same can’t be said for the 1989 movie God of Gamblers that focuses on the adventures of a gambler who suddenly loses his gift of luck.
However, just a few minutes of the Hong Kong movie will instantly bring a smile to your face as it’s packed with zany humour and jaw-dropping action scenes, and Chow Yun-Fat’s big-hearted screen presence as the God of Gamblers will show that the even the online roulette games at Betway can be a light-hearted way to let off steam in today’s evermore stressful modern world.
But whilst the gambling exploits of Chow Yun-Fat can provide some light relief, for a truly reaffirming glimpse into the struggles of the human spirit, then check out 2006 movie The Lives of Others. This German masterpiece follows a Stasi officer spying on his fellow citizens in East Berlin and quickly shows the moral turmoil that follows such an unpleasant professional predicament.
Although it might not sound quite as light and frothy as a gambling movie, by the time that the film reaches its jaw-dropping conclusion, it serves as an another spectacular depiction of the endless power of the human spirit.