We’re all living through a global event that is unprecedented in our lifetimes. A new vocabulary and way of living have been sprung on us out of nowhere —“social distancing,” “self-quarantine,” “flattening the curve,” etc. The stream of news about the spread of COVID-19 can be informative but can also result in anxiety for many. While it’s good to be informed, prepared citizens, everyone needs a break from time to time for their own mental health. Here are some feel-good movies to stream on Hoopla to help you relax and enjoy the moment as much as possible!
Movies
This Beautiful Fantastic (2016) – A young woman who dreams of becoming a children’s book author makes an unlikely friendship with a cantankerous, rich old widower.
Much Ado About Nothing (1993) – Bringing to life Shakespeare’s play, young lovers Hero and Claudio, soon to wed, conspire to get verbal sparring partners and confirmed singles Benedick and Beatrice to wed as well.
The Kingdom of Dreams and Madness (2013) – Follows the routines of those employed at Studio Ghibli, including filmmakers Hayao Miyazaki, Isao Takahata, and Toshio Suzuki as they work to release two films simultaneously, The Wind Rises and The Tale of the Princess Kaguya.
Whale Rider (2002) – On the coast of New Zealand, a contemporary story of love, rejection and triumph as a young Maori girl fights to fulfill a destiny her grandfather refuses to recognize.
Papi Chulo (2018) – A lonely TV weatherman strikes up an unusual friendship with a middle-aged Latino migrant worker.
Kate and Leopold (2001) – An English Duke from 1876 is inadvertently dragged to modern-day New York where he falls for a plucky advertising executive.
Amélie (2001) – Amélie is an innocent and naive girl in Paris with her own sense of justice. She decides to help those around her and, along the way, discovers love.
Robot & Frank (2012) – In the near future, an ex-jewel thief receives a gift from his son: a robot butler programmed to look after him. But soon the two companions try their luck as a heist team.
Chocolat (2000) – A woman and her daughter open a chocolate shop in a small French village that shakes up the rigid morality of the community.
Radio (2003) – The true story of a high school coach and the developmentally challenged man who he took under his wing in the 1970s.
The Healer (2017) – A young man discovers suddenly to have the gift of healing. Trying to understand it and the new reality that it offers, a teenage girl with terminal cancer unexpectedly will show him the way.
Call the Midwife (2012-current) – Inspired by the memoirs of Jennifer Worth, Call the Midwife is a TV series which follows the nurses, midwives and nuns from Nonnatus House, who visit the expectant mothers of Poplar, providing the poorest women with the best possible care.
Just for kids!
Ernest & Celestine (2012) – The story of an unlikely friendship between a bear, Ernest, and a young mouse named Celestine.
Swallow and Amazons (2016) – Four children on holiday in the Lake District sail on their own to an island and start a war with rival children. In the meantime, a mysterious man on a houseboat accuses them of a crime they did not commit.
Ella Enchanted (2004) – Ella is under a spell to be constantly obedient, a fact she must hide from her new step-family in order to protect the prince of the land, her friend for whom she’s falling.
*All synopses from IMDB.
