Travel movies for escaping the lockdown blues (and indulging your wanderlust)
Travel movie lists abound. From the cliched to classics, foreign films to quirky arthouse flicks, travel has inspired many a director and played main character as much as backdrop.
Personally, I am captivated by beautiful cinematography, glimpses of everyday life and of course, anything that shows off local cuisines. When a true escape is in order? foreign language films, because nothing keeps you off your phone like subtitles. So, here are just a few favourites from Mumbai to Amalfi, Vienna to Greenland… happy travels!
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The Lunchbox
A charming and gentle story set in Mumbai but far from the usual Bollywood fare, about an unlikely friendship that blossoms after a simple mistake is made with the traditional tiffin carrier service.
Watch it for: insight into everyday life for office workers and housewives in India, peeks into Indian cooking and
how food really is the way to human connection.
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Before Sunrise/Sunset and Midnight
The Before Trilogy is as renown as a study in the art of (extended) conversation, as much as they beautifully showcase the destinations against which the movies chronicle a romantic relationship across three distinct periods in the lives of the lead characters.
Watch it for: a reminder of why aimless wandering is a great way to travel - strolling in Vienna, wandering around Paris and an afternoon by the Greek Peloponnese coast, what more do you need?
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Secret Life of Walter Mitty
An appropriate film for lockdown life, for anyone dreaming to escape monotony and live out their travel dreams with some fantastic and fantastical adventures in Greenland, Iceland and the Himalayas.
Watch it for: absurd fantasies, but also turbo charging your wanderlust with glimpses at living out your globe trotting dreams with improbable adventures at some of the most incredible travel destinations.
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The Talented Mr Ripley
A psychological thriller with a captivating if not slightly unbelievable plot with decidedly dark undertones, but also filled with glimpses of glamour, lavishness and luxury in a seemingly effortlessly stylish and evocative depiction of 1950’s Italy.
Watch it for: the dazzling Italian Coast and the charisma and charm of a youthful Matt Damon, Jude Law and Gwyneth Paltrow
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Amelie
Ending with a lighthearted classic. A whimsical depiction of Parisian life through the eyes of the quirky and impish Amelie, whose mannerisms and beguiling expressions are as irresistible as her imagination and witty ponderings. This was the film that endeared me to Audrey Tautou and got me onto her other French films like Priceless, Beautiful Lies and Delicacy.
Watch it for: pure escape. A magical and dreamlike, supersaturated lens on the streets of Paris.
Have any favourites or lesser known gems we should know about? Comment down below, we're all ears!
And if you want to indulge your wanderlust further, keep an eye on our #wanderlustwednesdays over on Instagram, or sign up for our newsletter where we be sharing what we're watching, reading, listening to and dreaming of each month.