Emotional Intelligence Movies

Movies that offer practical tools to learn and establish better relationships between people:

"Relationships between people are complicated, and these movies offer practical tools to learn to establish much better bonds. Even if you can't explain it, you know it's true. Communication, body language, or persuasive tools have a significant influence on our subconscious.

Movies about emotional intelligence and social skills:

1. "Looking for Eric" | Need for asking for help

The protagonist of this movie is a divorced mailman living in the English city of Manchester. His life isn't exactly rosy, and he's plunged into severe depression. His fondness for football and the bad habit of smoking marijuana lead him into a psychedelic trance where the image of Eric Cantona, a famous retired footballer, appears to him. Alongside Cantona, his situation begins to improve considerably, thanks to his advice and camaraderie.

This film portrays well the changes that can come from learning to ask for help, defend individual rights, and effectively communicate feelings. Highly recommended.

2. "The King's Speech" | Stage fright

When his father dies and his brother abdicates, Prince Albert becomes King George VI. However, the new monarch suffers from a troubling problem: his stuttering has led to a terrible fear of public speaking. Through visits to a speech therapist, he starts preparing for one of the most momentous speeches for his nation: declaring war on Nazi Germany in front of a large crowd.

"The King's Speech" is a movie that shows us the most relevant secrets when it comes to public speaking, such as message synthesis, practice, visualization exercises, etc.

3. "Hitch" | Attraction and dating

Will Smith plays a seduction coach specialized in helping professionally successful but romantically challenged men find their soulmates. A movie with a quite suitable final moral: the best skill is confidence to be oneself. Totally recommended if you're a bit worried about your seduction skills.

4. "Inside Out" | Emotions... in general and sense of humor

The movie is a Pixar feature that deals with the five basic emotions we all have as human beings. Sadness, joy, fear, disgust, and anger are embodied by five tiny and utterly different characters who control the brain (and therefore emotions, sensations, and behavior) of young teenager Riley, who is facing an identity crisis after moving to a new city with her parents.

The film very didactically explains the influence of emotions in our daily lives and helps you understand that the "toxic" emotions we try to suppress, like fear or anger, have an adaptive role in nature.

5. "Jerry Maguire" | Friendship

The movie "Jerry Maguire" offers a comprehensive view of marketing applied to a small business. Jerry (portrayed by a young Tom Cruise) is a sports agent who, due to a somewhat absurd fight, ends up losing all his clients... and almost everything else.

From that point on, Jerry's life changes drastically. He embarks on a tough journey to regain professional prestige, having to fight against numerous adversities, thanks to his ability to attract and communicate with the people around him. If you want to learn to communicate in a more empathetic way and improve your social skills.

6. "The Wave" | Manipulation

During a project week aiming to teach the benefits of democracy, a teacher who needs to explain what a dictatorship is decides to conduct an experiment by creating a youth movement with military inspiration called "The Wave."

At first, everything goes well, and the students get notably involved in the activity, learning how the world of politics works. But The Wave begins to make itself felt through acts of violence, all behind the teacher's back, who ends up losing control of the situation.

A good social critique showing how a fascist and demagogic speech can influence small groups and corrupt the emotional intelligence of people who are still building their identity.

7. "The Method" | Argumentation and discourse

In a context of an economic crisis, a group of high executives shows up at an office to compete for a top managerial position in a large multinational company.

Tension and nerves fill the room. Soon, they realize they've been locked in, and from there, they must undergo several collective eliminatory tests, focusing on the participants' argumentation.

A movie that brutally presents argumentation and ruthless competition through group dynamics. A display that social skills are a double-edged sword and not always used for good.

8. "Wall-E" | Non-verbal communication

Wall-E was released in 2008, a product of the Disney-Pixar animation factory. In the movie, set in a post-apocalyptic future, a cleaning robot remains active on Earth after the planet was abandoned due to excessive garbage.

When he encounters EVE, a state-of-the-art robot sent to Earth to search for signs of life, he falls in love with her and follows her into a large spaceship where the remnants of humanity survive.

The film hides many lessons: from the dangers of excessive dependence on technological automation to the problems of consumerism and waste management. However, one of its main interests lies in the fact that communication between the protagonist robots occurs only through body language and the emission of robotic sounds. Wall-E will help you delve into non-verbal communication through the microexpressions of its protagonists and the gestures they use to communicate with each other.

9. "A Beautiful Mind" | Self-improvement

"A Beautiful Mind" is an American drama film from 2001. The movie portrays the early years of a young mathematics genius named John Nash (Russell Crowe), who starts developing paranoid schizophrenia and suffering from delusions, causing trouble in his social life. Against the advice of Dr. Rosen, Nash decides not to take the medication anymore, believing he can deal with the symptoms differently. Finally, and thanks to his efforts, he wins the Nobel Prize.

The movie masterfully shows how one can overcome personal adversities, a true journey through the most introspective side of emotional intelligence.

10. "Diplomacy" | Persuasion

Set in World War II, a Swedish consul meets at the Meurice hotel with Dietrich von Choltitz, the Nazi military governor of Paris. The consul's goal is to convince the general not to execute the order to blow up Paris's most representative monuments.

This movie illustrates the great relevance of emotional intelligence in politics and war: negotiation, persistence, caution, social skills, etc.

11. "The Shawshank Redemption" | Hope

A unique and unforgettable movie: Tim Robbins and Morgan Freeman are two prisoners in a state prison. Although Andy (Robbins) is innocent, he sees his future reduced to living in a prison controlled by corrupt individuals.

With the help of another inmate, Red (Freeman), they share moments of companionship in those terrible living conditions. Fortunately, Andy's optimism allows him to devise a way to escape from hell, based on an incredible dose of hope and a desire to live.

12. "Up in the Air"

Ryan (George Clooney) constantly travels for an ungrateful task: delivering news of layoffs to his clients' employees. However, an unexpected encounter makes him reconsider his lifestyle. What does it add to your career? Working outside Brazil and building an international career is the dream of many people. However, life between one airport and another can bring unexpected distress.