Great movies have the power to illuminate, inspire and inform. Some of this year’s Oscars contenders are not just pieces of entertainment, but important cultural touchstones that represent where we are in our culture, how far we’ve progressed (or even regressed) and where we are going.

American Sniper shows the human cost of war and the trouble it can cause at home for many vets suffering with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. An estimated 20% of veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan have been diagnosed with PTSD. Veterans also have suicide rates 50% higher than non-vets. Just last week, Obama signed a suicide prevention bill aimed at veterans and helping them with PTSD.

Selma came at a perfect time with protests in Ferguson and New York City over the deaths of Michael Brown and Eric Garner taking up headlines in 2014. The movie reminds us of the hard and courageous work required to combat racism then and now.

Citizenfour reminds us that data is more accessible than ever in today’s digital and networked world, as Sony painfully learned. 2015 will likely continue to be marked with concerns over cyber-security and data privacy while some stock market traders are expecting a big boost in that industry. Check out the late David Carr’s last interview with Laura Poitras and Glenn Greenwald, where he talks about breaking the Edward Snowden story.

Birdman reflects the alarming and growing rate of suicide in the U.S. with more than 40,000 Americans taking their own lives now. Health experts and activists are divided on the reason for the growing rate of suicides, depression and how to tackle this growing concern. Meanwhile, suicide research budget for the National Institute of Mental Health has actually been shrinking since 2011. One thing is for sure though: any concerted effort to increase prevention leads to the less deaths as the USA Today pointed out late last year.

The Grand Budapest Hotel couples well with the current state of art sales hitting new records year after year, leading The New York Times to ask recently: “Could the 21st-century contemporary art boom be a bubble that never really bursts?” What better way to revel in the astronomical prices with a chaotic murder mystery revolving around an expensive painting?

Still Alice brings to light the damaging impact of Alzheimer’s and poignantly showcases what more than 5 million Americans and their families go through facing the disease. A scientific breakthrough announced this week offers new hope, though: a researcher in the U.K. has discovered a molecule that naturally slows the formation of plaque in the brain. The movie also touches on the issue of assisted suicide for those with incurable diseases, a hot-button issue in the U.S. in the wake of 29-year old Brittany Maynard’s op-ed in People on her decision to end her life after being diagnosed with terminal brain cancer.

Leviathan is a Russian film about a fight between a landowner and a corrupt mayor. The film has been read as a scathing critique of Vladimir Putin’s Russia. It comes at a perfect time as the relationship between Russia and the West has entered a decidedly chilly period since the conflict in Ukraine.  It also mirrors the real-life burden of alcoholism, which has been estimated to cost the U.S. alone over $200 billion and take the lives of 80,000 people on average.

Theory of Everything is both a love story and depiction of Stephen Hawking’s battle against ALS, the film’s release followed the pinnacle of the “ice bucket challenge” which raised awareness and more than $100 million for research into this debilitating disease that is typically fatal within five years.

Imitation Game revolves around the WWII work of British mathematical genius Alan Turing, but it also touches on his homosexuality for which he was later convicted of indecency and chemically castrated, leading him to committed suicide. The movie sparked a petition to pardon 49,000 men who were also convicted under anti-gay laws in Britain. Laws have since changed there. While here in the U.S. marriage equality is now in 37 states with the Supreme Court expected to rule on same-sex marriages this year. Despite all that, homosexuality remains illegal and punishable by death in many countries.

Films can bring to light some of life’s most trying afflictions, but they can also motivate and encourage us to overcome struggles and help our world progress and mobilize us.

Keep learning,

Brad Grossman and Team ZEITGUIDE