If you're looking for a real life changing movie, you may want to consider renting a good, award-winning documentary alongside your usual fare.
Top documentaries such as the ones I am about to share with you have the power to change the way we see the world.
They impart knowledge and challenge prejudices.
And documentaries even inspire us to take action on critical issues.
Documentaries are a wonderful way to learn about the world around us, the parts we don't get to hear so much about.
They allow us to see the everyday with a new lens.
The mainstream media, of course, brings certain foreign places into our living room, but there are so many stories and issues out there that simply don't get covered.
There is even much to learn from watching a documentary that, from the outset, we might not agree with.
The majority of the time we read books and magazines that mirror our interests and values.
The same goes for TV programs and films.
We also seek out and spend time with individuals who are like us and share a similar worldview.
We're continually reinforcing the way we see the world, and this can be rather limiting from a personal growth standpoint.
The act of viewing a documentary - of immersing oneself for a couple of hours in a culture, place or situation that is alien - can be a transformative experience - one that can lead to greater understanding and compassion towards others.
Check out the award-winning documentary films listed below.
They'll open your eyes.
1.
Trouble The Water Trouble the Water, winner of the Grand Jury Prize at the 2008 Sundance Film Festival, tells the story of an aspiring rap artist and her husband who are trapped in New Orleans by deadly floodwaters.
Both survive the Hurricane and seize the chance for a fresh start.
"It's a redemptive tale of self-described street hustlers who become heroes that takes you inside Hurricane Katrina in a way never before seen on screen.
" 2.
Sicko Even if you're not a Michael Moore fan there is much to glean from his 2007 offering.
Is he over-the-top? Yes.
Does he have valid points? Absolutely.
The film investigates the American Health Care System, focusing on its health insurance and pharmaceutical industry.
Sicko examines the almost 50 million Americans who are uninsured as well as those who are covered who become victims of insurance company fraud and red tape.
3.
Born Into Brothels This Oscar-winning film is a chronicle of filmmakers Zana Briski and Ross Kauffman's efforts to show the world Calcutta's red light district.
To do this, they inspire a special group of children whose mothers are sex workers.
Briski, a New York-based photographer, gives each of the children a camera and teaches them to look at the world with new eyes.
4.
An Inconvenient Truth This must-see film by Davis Guggenheim chronicles former Vice President Al Gore's all-out effort to help save the planet from global warming.
This film shows Gore as we've never seen him before - open, funny, engaging, and deeply committed to educating others about the dire situation facing the world today.
5.
Taxi To The Dark Side This 2008 Oscar-winning documentary is a riveting examination of the reckless abuse of power by the Bush Administration.
The film investigates the death of an Afghan taxi driver at Bagram Air Base, exposing a worldwide policy of detention and interrogation that condones torture.
"The film asks and answers a key question: what happens when a few men use the wartime powers of the executive to undermine the very principles on which the United States was founded?" 6.
Long Night's Journey Into Day This fascinating award-winning documentary takes viewers inside post-apartheid South Africa, providing them with an intimate look at the nation's attempts to heal itself.
It documents a country trying to forge lasting peace after years of government instituted racial segregation.
7.
Super Size Me This is the story of a man, Morgan Spurlock, and his (many) Big Macs.
Spurlock's film follows a 30-day period where he commits to eating nothing but items purchased from McDonald's.
The film chronicles the dramatic effects Spurlocks' eating habits have on his life: weight gain, mood swings and liver damage to name a few.
It also explores the fast food industry's corporate influence, including how it encourages poor nutrition for its own profit.
8.
A Walk To Beautiful This award-winning documentary tells the stories of five Ethiopian women who suffer from devastating childbirth injuries.
These women, who suffer from obstetric fistula, are rejected by their husbands and communities.
They make a choice to take a difficult journey to the Addis Ababa Fistula Hospital in search of a cure and a new life.