8 Films Everyone Should Watch at Least Once

There are films that stick with you and refuse to let go. It could be because they find a tone that feels true or open new doors to the film medium. These films define genres and create new images for what a story could look like. Here are eight titles that deserve a place in every film lover’s heart.

Casablanca (1942)

A war film where romance carries the weight. Bogart and Bergman’s characters meet in shadows and cigarette smoke. The imagery is elegant. The lines are short, sharp, and almost like choruses. Behind them lie many things, especially the question that never gets a simple answer: what do we sacrifice to do the right thing? It’s both intimate and grand.

The Apartment (1960)

Billy Wilder builds drama out of keys, elevators and a bottle of champagne. He takes the loneliness of the office landscape and makes it sharp, warm and heartbreaking. Jack Lemmon and Shirley MacLaine carry a story of everyday life and life-changing decisions. Humor meets darkness in the best way.

Psycho (1960)

Hitchcock builds horror that remains unmatched to this day. A motel. A shower. A sharp string theme. The film knows exactly when to make your pulse race. The premonition of a crucial moment is felt throughout your body, much like the anticipation for big jackpots at Mega Riches when you spin the wheel. Hitchcock shows how nerves grow with rhythm, cuts and glances. Everything becomes dangerous in a second.

Pulp Fiction (1994)

Small talk, threats and salvation meet in the same scene. Tarantino lets timelines intersect in a delicate construction. The violence is choreographed, but beneath the surface lie questions of guilt. The film moves freely between high and low and leaves the audience with a well-rounded experience. The film contains both laughter and a strange calm.

The Matrix (1999)

A science-fiction film that twists action and philosophy. It defies gravity and pauses for a second to ask what reality means. Bullets stop in the air. Leather and neon meet ideas of reality and control. “The red pill” became a concept far beyond the film. The effects gave the genre a new template, and it endures because the choice it poses feels real.

Spirited Away (2001)

Studio Ghibli in full bloom. Miyazaki leads us through the bathhouse where gods wash away human carelessness. The film is imbued with an eerie feeling as the music gently carries us forward. The animation moves with precision. It portrays a rite of passage, where Chihiro builds courage to find answers. It’s a film that makes the world bigger.

Pan’s Labyrinth (2006)

Guillermo del Toro weaves a dark tale where a girl steps into trials that mirror a country in the aftermath of civil war. The magic and history intertwine as the images remain like scents from childhood. The mythical beasts attract and the adult world scares. The colors are dull, yet every image glows. It’s a painful and beautiful film at the same time.

Past Lives (2023)

The stillness of Celine Song’s debut is palpable. It premiered at Sundance Film Festival and introduced us to two people who met as children in Seoul, before life divided them. Years later, they sit in a bar in New York and talk quietly about everything that didn’t happen, with long pauses, small movements and rare honesty. It’s imperceptible and crystal clear at the same time.

Together, these films create a map of what the film format is capable of. The tight shot in Psycho. The set pieces in Casablanca. The poetry of The Apartment. The action of The Matrix. The fantasies in Pan’s Labyrinth. Ghibli’s detailed work in Spirited Away. The cross-cutting in Pulp Fiction. And the aftertaste of Past Lives. Eight films worth watching. At least once. Preferably more.