Five Things You Should Watch to Reset Your Soul’s Algorithm
What are you watching? From YouTube shorts, to Instagram reels, to whatever nonsense TikTok is spitting out, we are constantly flooded with bite-sized and fast-paced morsels of entertainment. It is an almost overwhelming onslaught of dopamine hits, and it is destroying our ability to focus and ponder things on anything but a superficial level.
It has reached the point where movies and television shows are being produced with this in mind. It’s called Second Screening, and its innocuous name hides a far more insidious reality. In many cases, movie and TV producers are explicitly instructing the creative staff to dumb down their material and to repeat essential plot points numerous times so distracted viewers can keep up while they scroll on their phones.
If you have a smartphone, you’ve probably looked at it a number of times while watching a movie or television show. It shames me that I have done this more times than I care to admit. I would wager that most of us have. But we aren’t second screening in some ingenious attempt to be more productive while we watch the latest movie.
We might try to fool ourselves into thinking that is why we do it, but in reality, it is because we have slowly trained our brains and our attention spans to lack the ability to fully invest in anything. We have wired our minds to need nearly constant distraction, and it is destroying any ability we might have had to engage with visual storytelling in anything but a superficial manner.
To add to this onslaught of rapid-fire noise and distraction, the long-form “entertainment” we are offered is often times empty, coarse, or some combination of the two. We are fed a steady diet of glorified villains, anti-heroes, debased behavior (any dating reality show), and non-redemptive storylines. There is room for stories of broken people, even villainous people, Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul being two great examples, but a constant overload of these types of stories is not healthy for our souls. It numbs and desensitizes us. It clouds our vision, causing us to see the world through a warped and twisted filter. Our entertainment diet needs a detoxification.
While I don’t have all the answers here, (honestly, I have very few) I do have a few film and television recommendations that have helped me put away distractions and to fully interact in a way that has been refreshing. They have also helped cleanse my filter so I can better see the true, the beautiful, and the good.
I will keep this to only 5 titles, to not overload you with too much homework. As you will probably discover quickly, there is no obviously discernable rhyme or reason to my list. These titles are not connected thematically or stylistically. What they do share, at least from my perspective, is an appreciation for hope and life and wonder. I hope at least one of these titles captures your attention and heart, like they did mine.
You should watch Train Dreams
Meditative, poetic, and profoundly human, Train Dreams is a 2025 film by writer and director Clint Bentley. If you have seen the films of Terrence Malick, Train Dreams will likely speak your filmic language. The story follows the life of Robert Grainier, a railroad and forest laborer from the Pacific Northwest. Using rich visual language, matter of fact, yet penetratingly profound narration, and rivetingly understated performances, the film masterfully contemplates the true nature of living and the bonds that make us who we are. To say more would spoil the journey. What I can say, is that if you want the full benefits of the film, it will require your full attention. Second screening is not an option here.
(While Train Dreams is rated PG-13, due to thematic material and some brief sexual content, we would recommend this only for more mature viewers. It is available on Netflix.)
You should watch A Man on the Inside
Big vibe shift here. Consider yourself warned. A Man on the Inside is a Netflix original series from Michael Shur – one of the creative forces behind The Office, Parks and Recreation, Brooklyn 99, and The Good Place. It stars Ted Danson as a widower and recently retired college professor who finds a second career and a new lease on life working as an amateur undercover private investigator in a retirement community.
That is a lot of information so I’ll stick with why you should watch it instead of focusing on plot points. You should watch A Man on the Inside because it is a gentle, optimistic, and overwhelmingly kind comedy. It rejects cynicism, snark, or any other commonly found ingredients in many modern-day sitcoms. And it is better for it. There are two seasons so far, and while the 1st season was far superior, they are both worth watching. Ted Danson continues to prove he is the Television G.O.A.T.1 In a television world filled with antiheroes, villain protagonists, and bleak worldviews, A Man on the Inside is a pleasant and effective palate cleanser.
You should watch Paterson
Have you ever wanted to watch a movie about a quiet and introspective bus driver who writes poetry about matchbooks and is married to a free-spirited dreamer? If so, have I got the movie for you! Paterson, starring Adam Driver and Golshifteh Farahani, and directed by Jim Jarmusch, is a movie that creeps up on you. My guess is it will prove to be rather divisive for our readers. It’s an odd film, built around characters that seem to be operating in entirely different films at times, yet somehow the quirkiness blends together and creates something lovely and comforting and full of love.
There are numerous layers to the film, and untying all of them for explanatory purposes feels unhelpful. At its heart, Paterson tells a story of observation, finding beauty and profundity in the mundane, and championing others to find those qualities in themselves. If you connect with the film, it will leave a mark. In its own quirky manner, the film embodies the Biblical view of love found in I Corinthians 13. “Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.”
(Paterson is rated R primarily for some language. Proceed with caution.)
You should watch The Peanut Butter Falcon
This is modern day Mark Twain. That is the best description I can think of for The Peanut Butter Falcon, which tells the joyful and positively life-affirming tale of an unlikely pair taking a journey down a river. One, a broken, aimless wanderer. The other, a young man with Down’s Syndrome who dreams of becoming a professional wrestler. The film deals with themes of friendship, brotherhood, purpose, dignity, and the absolute sanctity and beauty of every human life.
The Peanut Butter Falcon is the antidote to so many modern films. In a world full of snark and cynicism, t is earnest and pure. It is a film that makes me smile, which is about as high praise as I can give. Yet when needed, the film hits our emotions in a way that feels fully earned. Every time I have watched the film, my heart is brimming with joy as the credits roll. If that is not a timeline cleanse from what passes as entertainment these days, I don’t know what is.
You should watch Project Hail Mary
I realize we are very late to the party here, and Project Hail Mary doesn’t need our help, but do yourself a favor and go watch it on the biggest screen possible if you haven’t already. Yes, it’s sci-fi. Yes, it gets a little big and crazy at times. But the film is loaded with heart and joy, so much so, I haven’t felt that energized after watching a movie at the theater in years.
We need films that celebrate hope and our shared sense of humanity. Project Hail Mary is exactly that. That’s not to imply the film is wish fulfillment or anything like that. It’s not. At all. There are real stakes and real heartbreaks, but the story is never content to wallow in the darkness and pain. It is always running headlong towards the light. Give us more films like this and I promise the film industry will do just fine.
And give Ryan Gosling all the awards.
Final Thoughts
My goal in offering these five recommendations, as well as writing about this topic, is primarily to remind us that what we watch affects us more profoundly than we sometimes realize. And how we watch can have equally as powerful effects on us. As often as possible, our viewing habits should be disciplined and purposeful. Prioritize titles that will engage your whole mind, rather than frivolous emptiness that we frequently consume. Seek out films or television shows that will not only be engaging, but that will also point towards the good, the true, and the beautiful. Watch with discernment and focus. That way lies wisdom.
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