From timeless classics to modern takes, Film is Literature teachers Kelly Williams and Tom Ward share their complete guide to their film favorites. 

Top picks from both:

The Matrix, 1999

“I think the film holds up, because it was the originator of so many different visual effects that are the norm now,” said Williams. “And thinking in terms of transgender identity, because the creators are transgender women who weren’t out at the time, so there’s this allegory about trans identity subtly hidden within ‘The Matrix.’”

“It [‘The Matrix’] came out right when the Internet was still pretty fresh and everyone didn’t have cell phones yet,” said Ward. “You just had like email and chat rooms, so people were starting to get connected, but now everything is linked and maybe ‘The Matrix’ predicted that because it is literally about AI and technology.”  

Ladybird, 2017

“Greta Gerwig is an incredibly thoughtful and interesting director,” said Williams. “In film class, I like to refer to her as our best friend Greta, and I think stylistically she can do something really small, focused and beautiful about daily relationships between people.”

“When we teach the film [‘Ladybird’], very few people like it, and yet as teachers and people watching the film later in our lives, we can see that this is a young person that is just going through some stuff and trying to figure it out, so it’s easier for us to find empathy,” said Ward.

International film: Parasite

“Parasite is almost a very modern ‘Hitchcock’, I would say there’s a very thoughtful direction to the film,” said Ward. “There’s literally ‘Hitchcock’ easter eggs that the director Bong Joon-ho puts into the film to keep the audience on their toes.”

“The film also draws from the idea that everything in our life today is a heavy examination of class and social structure, and how that affects the cinematography is stunning, like the way that light is used in the film, it has to be my favorite thing,” said Williams.

Before 1990: Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, 1986

“It’s the perfect movie, not an amazing work of art, but a perfect movie,” said Ward. “It’s doing exactly what it is trying to do at an insanely high level, and I think that’s very special. 

“It’s also really deep with the whole side story about mental health,” said Williams. “I didn’t quite get it when I saw it when I was 10, but now I can sort of read between the lines. I just love it, love it, love it.”

Challengers

“‘Challengers’ is just so fun, it’s like putting three, combustible things together and letting them go,” said Williams. “Zendaya is so cunning in the film, and she just toys with these two boys so easily, it’s quite funny.” 

“I also thought that the actors, Mike Faist and Josh O’Connor, were great and they’re dynamic together even when they’re on their own and Zendaya’s not in the picture,” said Ward. “Just any combination of three of them put together is amazing.”

From Ward:

Last five years: Barbarian, 2022

“So here’s my sleeper pick, and you have to be cool with a little bit of horror but not a lot, ‘Barbarian’, which is actually set and shot in Detroit,” said Ward. “It’s twisty, but in very unexpected ways, and when I say unexpected, I don’t mean like ‘gotcha!’, I mean on the slightly scary side.”

Before 1990: Network, 1976

“Any of our students would really enjoy this and they probably haven’t heard about it and wouldn’t normally pick it off a shelf, if it just popped up,” said Ward. “‘Network’ is a Sidney Lumet film and it’s also similar to ‘The Matrix’, except not about the Internet, but TV. The film has some impressive acting but it also pokes fun at itself at times too.”

Anora, 2024

“What I loved about ‘Anora’ is that it’s graphic, but not with violence,” said Ward. “It’s also so funny, nonstop and high energy, but that’s all I can say without spoiling it.” 

A Quiet Place, 2018

“It matters so much what silence does in comparison to little injections of noise to create suspense,” said Ward. “This film is very original, because it relies so much on the sound design, and in turn really puts you into their world.” 

From Williams:

Last five years: Black Widow, 2021

“It’s totally relevant with the focus on thinking about, ‘how are women manipulated and controlled by larger forces?’,” said Willams. “But ‘Black Widow’ is really well done with Florence Pugh and Scarlett Johansson and Rachel Weisz, I’m always in the mood to watch this film.”

Before 1990: Do the Right Thing (1989)

“It’s an incredible movie,” said Williams. “Spike Lee wrote it, directed it, and stars in it. It’s about this one block in Brooklyn and all of the relationships and interactions between different parts of the community there, but it’s set over the course of a long summer’s day.” 

Favorite: Little Women, 2019

“I love Gerwig’s ‘Little Women’ because it has a realness to it,” said Williams. “I did a lot of my undergraduate honors thesis work on Louisa May Alcott’s Little Women, so I’ve been a long time fan and I think this film is a great representation of the story. And I think when you have a mostly women oriented space, interesting things can happen.”

Favorite: Fight Club, 1999

“’Fight Club’ is a great critique of consumer culture and masculinity,” said Williams. “And in ‘Fight Club’, it’s Helena Bonham Carter’s character, Marla, who is a sort of interloper into this masculine world, which makes us think about the significance of the role of gender in our lives.”