Knock, Knock! Who’s There? Inspiration – Top 5 Inspirational Short Movies

Knock, Knock! Who’s There? Inspiration – Top 5 Inspirational Short Movies

by | Career, Communication, Managing Yourself, Motivation, Productivity

At Oorja Biz Ops, we understand that some days you just can’t get out of bed. All you want to do is stay under the sheets and feed the “I am feeling existential” monster, literally and metaphorically. We have those days too. But as a team, we have our ways of dealing with them and love to share them with you. We have a secret treasure chest where we store all the inspiration we come across, and if you were wondering, our posts on the movies, books and Ted talks are from that secret store. If you don’t have a long time to obsess about life’s worries and get ready to face the world again, and need a quick fix, here is a list of five Inspirational Short Movies which will leave you feeling motivated and up and ready even before you’ve finished watching them.

1. Glory Days (11 minutes) –

You feel like a hurricane has wrecked your life? Well, watch this movie and find out what it is like to really have a hurricane wreck everything you hold dear to your heart. But you never give up on what is dear to you, and no matter how tough the going gets, you get up and start building again. A truly inspiring movie on the football team of the Warren Easton High School of Louisiana and how they rebuilt their football program post the catastrophe of hurricane Katrina.

2.Rosa – These Storms (11 minutes)–

All about living, and living your dreams. Nothing is impossible when you put your mind to it and Rosa proves that to you. The movie is about a young Mayan woman, Rosa, and how she overcomes her past to live her dreams – what she thought was impossible being a woman in rural Guatemala.

3. Never Give Up (8 minutes) –

An award winning short film, it features a man with a partial disability with his legs, his struggle to overcome the disadvantage and his victory. A truly classic example of “where there is a will, there is definitely a way.” You can move mountains if your will power is strong enough, and here is an example of a man conquering a disability that medicine gave up on, through his sheer will power. Time to kick away the blanket then?

4. Vincent (6 minutes) –

This classic animation short film made by Tim Burton back in 1982, is still one of the best in this genre. Psychedelic, funny, yet thought provoking. This wonderful creation will leave you confused between what’s real and what’s imagined, and if we complicate our lives simply by imagining problems that don’t even exist!

5. The Gift (5 minutes) –

Portrayed against the backdrop of a futuristic Moscow, this movie also bagged an award at the Cannes Lions International Advertising Festival. What is “the gift”, is it the redemption that humanity desperately needs? Watch to find out!

We hope you feel all better after watching some of these and are back to believing that there is no problem which is insurmountable. After all, as we keep reminding ourselves and you, all you need to do is be #HappyInTheNow! Onward!

 

5 Inspirational Hollywood Movies You Must Watch

5 Inspirational Hollywood Movies You Must Watch

by | Life, Motivation, Productivity

If art is a window on society, and film is the seventh art form, then the question ‘do films reflect or represent reality’ seems to answer itself. Albeit you probably need to look beyond the usual Hollywood claptrap in order to find relevant examples.
~ Martin Guttridge-Hewit

So we sifted through the claptrap and have brought to you five inspirational Hollywood movies (in no particular order), that you absolutely must watch. All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy, and if you’ve been wondering why Oorja Biz Ops has been focusing on literature and media lately, it is because only when you immerse yourself in these creative zones that you will (hopefully) imbibe some of the creativity. If inspiration doesn’t walk up to you and say hello, you need to find it and trap it in a little vial which you will have to refill every now and then. 🙂

  1. Whiplash – The story is about an ambitious young drummer and an arrogant and horrible teacher, the drummer needs the teacher, the teacher needs this student. They grow to hate each other ferociously. What results is victory for both, the teacher and the student. How is that even possible? You have to watch the movie to find out. The movie is about passion, dreams and achieving them no matter how hard life kicks you below the belt. An added bonus is the beyond amazing sound score. If this movie doesn’t inspire you, nothing ever will! Also, the movie couldn’t have been named more aptly!
  1. Forrest Gump – Forrest (Tom Hanks) is slow-witted, but has never thought of himself as disadvantaged, thanks to his mother and her upbringing. Life happens to him after he steps out of home. The movie unfolds seamlessly, moving swiftly through Forrest’s life and the challenges he faces in his struggle to be around people who are not as simple-minded as him. A large part of the movie is set against the backdrop of the Vietnam War and is quite telling of the times. No challenge seems to overwhelm Forrest, it is his childhood love who is his anchor – what happens when the person he cares about most, is also going to be the hardest to save? A must watch, and a standing ovation for Tom Hanks!

 

  1. The Shawshank Redemption- Andy Dufresne (Tim Robbins) has been wrongly convicted and sentenced to two consecutive life imprisonment terms for the murders of his wife and her lover – at the Maine’s Shawshank prison. If “survival of the fittest” could be expressed in the most graphic and telling way, it would be this movie. The story is about survival, friendship and ultimately, redemption. Ironically – redemption from a wrong he never committed. A movie that will always feature in lists of “All Time Inspirational Movies”!
  1. Schindler’s List- Set against the background of the holocaust and war, the movie is a bone chilling account of what it was like to be a Jew in Nazi Germany. Oskar Schindler is a businessman who plans on making a fortune from the ongoing war (World War II). He joins the Nazi party to prove his political affiliations and thinks it pragmatic to employ Jewish workers at his factory. When Hitler starts exterminating the Jews, he arranges for the safety of his workers so that his factory could continue with its operations. However, soon he realizes that it is not just his fear of running into a loss which is a concern, but also the more important fact that he is saving innocent human lives. To even imagine now that such atrocities were possible, seems impossible. But what the movie is, is simply a reflection of history. Beautifully directed, the movie leaves you thinking if you have it in you to make a difference, no matter how small.
  1. Dead Poets Society – Dear Robin Williams, thank you for being so amazing and may you rest in peace. The movie is a classic, and never fails to inspire you, no matter how many times you watch it. The story is about a legendary teacher who believes firmly that a student learns more from the world, than inside a classroom. An anchor for his students, he urges them to break out of their shells and explore the true meaning of the phrase – carpe diem! This movie makes one realize that all of us do have wings, but we prefer to keep them clipped. Once again, a must watch!

Of course these can’t be the only five movies and of course you disagree with us. So tell us about your all-time favourite inspirational Hollywood movies which leave you feeling charged up and ready to take on the world! And don’t forget to check out our five must-watch inspirational Bollywood movies, if you haven’t already.