Discover how movies shape gratitude, growth and grace
Movies do more than entertain—they shape how people think, feel and connect, said experts and BYU–Hawaii students. Furthermore, they added films have the power to evoke emotional responses, offering audiences a space to reflect, learn and heal.
Ryan Niemic, a psychologist and author of “Character Strengths Cinematherapy: Using Movies to Inspire Change, Meaning and Cinematic Elevation,” said movies allow us to experience emotions in a way that encourages reflection and understanding. “They engage viewers and empower them and move them to reflect on goodness, gain self-awareness and develop deeper understanding of others,” he explained.
Understanding catharsis in movies
According to Arcs Studio, catharsis is a Greek term coined by Aristotle meaning to purify, or cleanse and is a release of emotions that are powerful or repressed. “The term is used in drama to suggest the emotional closure of the end of the narrative,” the site explains.
Catharsis is about the emotional response the text creates for the audience, says the site. “The audience’s emotional connection to the characters is at the heart of catharsis,” the site adds.
In a paper written for Psychology Today entitled, “Do TV and Movies Impact Real World Behaviors?”, Tamim Mobayed explains determining the exact extent to which television and media content influence human behavior is challenging, but their pervasive presence across platforms makes it clear they do have measurable effects.
Exposure to specific content can shape both positive and negative behaviors, sometimes unintentionally and other times by design.
Mobayed cites Miguel Sabido, Albert Bandura and Christina Bicchieri’s work explaining how storytelling and social learning theories can deliberately influence audiences’ attitudes and actions. “Their work shows media can serve as a powerful behavioral tool, capable of encouraging social progress or harm,” he explains.
Movies as a guide to growth
In a MedBound Times article, Dr. Disha Merlyn Mathias says films blur the line between reality and fiction. “It doesn’t just stir our emotions; it inspires and influences us to act,” she explains.
According to Mathias, even small or mundane films can shape attitudes, beliefs and outlooks on life. “The movie Life of Pi tells us the story of a young man surviving in the middle of nowhere. Such films can educate and transform how we think,” she adds.
Rachel Chab, a senior from Utah majoring in communication, media and culture, said she thinks of movies she watches during Christmas time as movies that make her feel more grateful and reflective. “Movies like Christmas Carol, Little Women, It’s A Wonderful Life and the Sound of Music are what comes to mind and it’s because they have this real-life quality to them which I love,” she explained.
When films can introduce the complexity of human nature, it makes it more authentic, Chab said. “I see that in creating more complex characters. It helps the audience think deeper about the character’s actions,” she explained.
Most people go to movies without knowing what they are going to get from it, Chab shared. “I don’t feel that people go for emotional need but when we watch, we reflect our own experiences and feelings onto the movie,” she said. “That is how we can put ourselves in that experience and learn from it, and well-written movies do a great job of sharing that.”
Chab said a movie that made her want to express gratitude for a person was based on a book called “Silence,” a Japanese story based on true events about missionaries in 17th-century Japan, where Christianity was outlawed. At the end of the movie, she said the protagonist, played by Andrew Garfield, was forced to renounce his faith by stepping on an image of Christ to save Japanese Christians. “He hears a voice in his head, ‘It was to be trampled on by men that I was born into this world. It was to share men’s pain that I carried my cross.’ And that scene made me think deeply about Christ’s character and what it means to be His follower,” she explained.
Gratitude through storytelling
Chab said films often teach viewers about gratitude by highlighting moments of loss, second chances and consequences of choices. She said, “Past Lives,” for example, made her reflect on the life choices she could control over those she could not. “For me, the film was less about longing for love and more about longing for the life left behind. It helped me appreciate my choices, my relationship and where I am now,” she explained.
Grace feels like presence and appreciation for where one is in life, Chab said. “Films help us recognize it when they make us think of things we never considered before. That awareness about life, beliefs or even politics helps us appreciate life more,” she explained.
In “Demon Slayer,” a Japanese animated series, the main character Tanjiro goes through loss but stays grateful, Chab said. “Gratitude often needs pain or loss because sometimes, we realize what we’re grateful for only after losing it,” she said.
Chab said audiences may connect deeply with stories about second chances, forgiveness and gratitude because people want to be good. “We all hope for second chances and forgiveness and that hope keeps us going,” she continued.
Paige Westman, a senior from New Jersey majoring in communication, media and culture, said some films resonate for their authenticity and portrayal of grace. “Me, Earl and the Dying Girl shows how small, thoughtful acts like making movies to cheer up a sick friend can have a profound emotional impact,” she explained.
Films can create what she described as a “baptism of film”: a sense of emotional renewal after watching. “When you come out of a movie, it’s like all your intentions and things you want to do from that moment on are realigned. You feel inspired to be a better person,” she explained.
Movies as mirrors to humanity
The experience of watching films in theaters versus personal devices can also enhance the emotional impact, Westman said.
Going into a theater separates you from the world you’re usually in. The physical act of attending a screening reinforces the feeling of emotional transformation.
Students might recognize a film for entertainment and a film for profit, Westman said. “Marvel movies or Mission Impossible are fun and entertaining but their goal is marketing,” she said. “Meanwhile, thought-provoking films often aim to teach and heal sometimes both filmmakers and the audience,” she continued.
Westman emphasized the importance of authenticity. “When filmmakers collaborate with the communities they are portraying, it adds truth to the story,” she explained.
Niemic said films embody a trifecta of meaning: they engage, empower and encourage viewers. “A positive psychology film portrays a character’s strengths, depicts their struggles, shows how they overcome challenges and resonates with the human condition,” he explained.
Films also evoke self-transcendent emotions and connect viewers to something larger than themselves, Niemic adds. “These experiences are especially common among individuals high in gratitude and spirituality,” he explained.