Movies have a major impact on people’s lives and can change the way a person thinks. Like, who could forget, Titanic–even if we weren’t alive to see its debut, that movie is has been making people cry since 1997.

Following up on this idea, I surveyed the viewers of my Snapchat story to come up with this top nine list of movies that have changed their lives. 

1.Clouds

The Disney movie, Clouds, is a true story about a teenage boy, Zach Sobiech, who battled cancer most of his life. Sobiech went through 20 rounds of chemo and pursued his music career through the final few months of his life. 

From my personal experience, this movie is very touching. If we’re being quite honest, I was bawling my eyes out by the last 30 minutes. 

This story is actually so inspirational that I picked up learning the guitar after watching it, because I realized that life is so short and that you should experience everything that you can. 

“It made me realize that you never truly know when your last day on Earth is and you should always make the most of it,” said freshman Ashlynn Pavey. 

2. All the Bright Places 

All the Bright Places is about two very different teenagers. One of them is a freak who is obsessed with death and the other is “the popular” girl. 

“It showed me, as well as many others, that it’s not just you that has a life, and it’s not just you with problems, and that everyone is human, and you need to cherish each one,” said sophomore Miranda Throne. 

This movie really changes your perspective, because it shows that life is worth living and that even when times feel hopeless, you’ll feel happy again someday. 

My perspective was changed after watching this because it made me look and treat everyone a little bit differently then I had before, knowing that they’re probably going through something that I had no idea about. 

3. The Hate You Give

This movie is about an African American girl who gets shot, and her friend, being inspired by the battle against police brutality, becoming an activist. 

This movie is a very good way to become more educated on police brutality and racism. 

The Hate You Give gave me a whole new view on the world and made me personally want to fight for others rights’ even more than I did before. 

“It changed my perspective on diversity, the lives of African Americans, the inequality between whites and African Americans, and how different that makes their lifestyle; how unfair it is, ” said student Amanda Merrick. 

4. The Odd Life Of Timothy Green 

“It helped change my perspective of people dying. It made me realize that tomorrow isn’t guaranteed,” said freshman Margo Channell.

The Odd Life of Timothy Green is about a happy, married couple who desperately wants a child, but aren’t able to conceive one. As a result, this couple buried a box with all of their wishes, and Timothy randomly showed up at their door one day. 

Another reason why this movie is so life changing is because it shows you how lucky you are to be fertile. Many women complain about the pain of pregnancy, but some women who are infertile will never even get to experience that.

5. Hotel Rwanda 

This movie is about the 1994, Rwandan genocide and how Rusesabaginda works to save not only his family, but also over 1,000 refugees. 

I think this movie is very inspirational, because it shows how one person can make a huge difference. It also highlights a genocide that many people aren’t aware of, and it’s one that happened fairly recently.

“(It) showed how people’s ignorance led to genocide and how easily things could have been different,” said Matt Cartier from Susquehannock High School. 

This movie truly changed me, because I was able to see how selfless a person can be, even in a time of crisis. 

6. The Great Gatsby

The Great Gatsby is about a wealthy man named Jay Gatsby and a not so wealthy man named Nick Carraway. Nick is fascinated by Gatsby’s riches, but later finds out that Gatsby’s life is filled with tragedy. 

This movie really shows that no matter what social class you are in, you will still have struggles.  

“It changed my perspective on life because it’s about how two people can be so good for each other and they still always choose the bad person,” said freshman Sophia Manfredi. 

The Great Gatsby really made me rethink the phrase ‘money doesn’t buy happiness’, and how much it’s true.

7. The Rocky Series

Rocky is a true story about a boxer named Rocky Balboa who earned the opportunity to go to the world heavyweight championship. 

“It showed me that everything is still worth fighting for and you should never give up and to always push harder than anyone else out there, because someone is always better than you,” said junior Allison Morrison. 

The main character, Rocky,  inspires me to never give up no matter what life throws at you. 

8. The Pursuit of Happyness

This is another true story about a man who starts off as homeless and works his way up to becoming a successful businessman. A true rags to riches, American tale. 

The man who this movie is about, Chris Gardner, also has a child in the movie. This really motivates me, because it shows that you can be going through a rough time and still work your hardest to take care of your child. 

“Never take what you have for granted; always find the positive in what you have, and always keep your head up,” said Camden Ellenburg from North Carolina. 

This movie really gave me hope because it’s a visual representation that you have to start from the bottom and climb your way up to the top. 

9. The Space Between Us 

The Space Between Us is about a boy (Gardener) who was born on Mars, actually the first human to be born there. He starts online chatting with another teen named Tulsa and is able to visit Earth to meet his father, but his organs couldn’t survive the change in atmosphere. 

This movie is very different from the other movies on here, in the sense that it shows that two people who live completely different lives can still be romantically together. 

Before even going to Earth, he had to undergo a dangerous surgery and do workout training in order to be able to survive on Earth. Sadly, this was not enough for him to be able to stay, and he is sent back to Mars. 

This movie touched me in a different way because Gardener inspired Tulsa to become an astronaut, proving that one person can change your whole life.