The best movies are the ones that stick with you long after you turn off the television. Impact can come from acting performance, directorial style, or overall theme. My favorites are the ones that make you think about life, about your place and purpose. These six movies did just that for me and I recommend them to everyone who is anyone. Enjoy.

1. "August Rush."

Orphan Evan Taylor, in an attempt to find his family and learn about himself, escapes to New York City, where his musical prodigy is discovered.

Coined “August Rush” to evade social workers, Evan at first plays street corners but eventually enrolls at Julliard and is invited to conduct a concert. Simultaneously, audiences learn of his parents, their brief relationship, and their journey back to each other and the place where it all happened.

2. "Dear Zachary: A Letter to a Son About his Father."

This documentary by Kurt Kuenne, about the life and death of his best friend, Andrew Bagby, starts off as a tribute. It morphs into a first person account of tragedy and helps to tell the truth of the events which made international news and prompted law reform (I really can’t say more for fear of spoilers). The storytelling and editing are flawless and, overall, this film left me heartbroken, grateful, confused, and hopeful all at the same time.

3. "Into the Wild."

Based on the novel by Jon Krakauer and the journals of real life Christopher McCandless, this movie is one of self-discovery, travel, and survival. McCandless leaves life as he knows it -- along with his trust fund -- and adopts the persona of Alexander Supertramp while he makes his way across the country. He meets several friends along the way, each of whom help him develop a new outlook on his purpose. Eventually, he gets to Alaska, where he is trapped by winter in an abandoned bus.

4. "Dead Poet’s Society."

Alumnus and English professor John Keating shakes up a private boarding school during his first and only year thereby teaching a class of boys how to not only love poetry, but how to be better men.

Keating’s methods are unusual and cause him to be disliked by parents and administration. His stint comes to an end after tragedy occurs and the politics of the school force blame to be placed on him alone.

5. "The Pianist."

This dramatization of the true story of Wladislaw Spilzman (one of the most revered concert pianists of 1930s Europe) shows World War II era Jewish discrimination rear its full force. After losing his job, neighborhood, and way of life, Spilzman evades concentration camps and aids in an uprising. He finds friends in sympathizers and, eventually, in a German officer, and is able to survive one of the most volatile times in recent history.

6. "The Darjeeling Limited."

The three Whitman brothers are reunited, a year after their father’s death, on a train in India. Tensions develop as Francis is overly controlling, Peter is unable to let their father go, and Jack wants to leave the trip to win back his ex-girlfriend. The trip culminates with a huge fight and then a visit to their mother, who has been hiding out as a nun.

The brothers learn to trust each other and help one another deal with their respective problems back at home.