Googling ways to stop doomscrolling? Well, we here at Close-Up Culture have got you covered. Here’s 50 films to keep you occupied…

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1. Everybody Wants Some!! (2016) – Makes hanging out, talking nonsense and meeting new people feel like the whole point of being alive.

2. Perfect Days (2023) – A beautiful reminder that an ordinary life can still be an extraordinary one.

3. Dazed and Confused (1993) – Another Linklater film that makes doing absolutely nothing with your friends feel incredibly important.

4. Before Sunrise (1995) – Linklater again!?! This one is proof that a great conversation can beat almost anything the internet has to offer.

5. Paterson (2016) – Turns coffee, poetry, routine and quiet mornings into tiny acts of happiness.

6. Columbus (2017) – Makes wandering around a beautiful place with someone you like feel like enough.

7. Sing Street (2016) – Makes starting a terrible band feel like a genuinely excellent life decision.

8. Local Hero (1983) – The cinematic equivalent of switching your phone off and breathing properly.

9. Kiki’s Delivery Service (1989) – A gentle reminder that growing up doesn’t mean becoming boring.

10. Our Little Sister (2015) – Makes everyday family life feel warm, complicated and worth cherishing.

11. After Yang (2021) – Encourages you to pay attention to the small moments before they become memories.

12. C’mon C’mon (2021) – A lovely reminder that sometimes listening is more important than having something clever to say.

13. Before Sunset (2004) – Caution: Will probably make you want to text someone you haven’t spoken to in years.

14. Frances Ha (2012) – Makes being broke, lost and slightly chaotic feel considerably less frightening.

15. The Muppet Movie (1979) – Proof that optimism, friendship and felt creatures can solve most problems.

16. Paddington 2 (2017) – The strongest possible argument for being ridiculously nice to people.

17. Chef (2014) – Makes cooking for people you love seem like a perfectly good reason to get out of bed.

18. The Way Way Back (2013) – A reminder that one good summer can change how you see yourself.

19. Moonrise Kingdom (2012) – Makes running away with your crush seem considerably more wholesome than it probably is.

20. Boyhood (2014) – Makes you appreciate how much life happens while you’re busy waiting for something else to happen.

21. Before Midnight (2013) – Ok, ok, just watch this entire Linklater collection!

22. The Station Agent (2003) – Proof that friendship can arrive from the most unexpected places.

23. Hunt for the Wilderpeople (2016) – Makes loneliness, misfits and getting lost in the wilderness strangely life-affirming.

24. Little Miss Sunshine (2006) – A dysfunctional family road trip that makes dysfunction feel rather lovely.

25. The Lunchbox (2013) – Shows how one small human connection can completely change someone’s day.

26. Amélie (2001) – Turns tiny acts of kindness into a full-blown philosophy of life.

27. Francesco, giullare di Dio (1950) – An antidote to cynicism disguised as a very simple, very lovely film.

28. My Neighbour Totoro (1988) – Two hours of pure evidence that the world can still be gentle.

29. The Secret Life of Walter Mitty (2013) – A not-so-subtle reminder that watching other people live isn’t the same as living yourself.

30. The Peanut Butter Falcon (2019) – Makes friendship, freedom and going on an adventure feel wonderfully uncomplicated.

31. The Last Days of Disco (1998) – Makes going out, dressing up and talking rubbish until 4am seem worth resurrecting.

32. Slacker (1990) – Proof that doing nothing can still produce some very interesting conversations.

33. Before We Vanish (2017) – An oddball reminder to appreciate humanity while we still have it.

34. The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014) – Makes a collapsing world considerably more enjoyable to look at.

35. Rye Lane (2023) – A reminder that meeting a stranger can occasionally make a terrible day much better.

36. Brooklyn (2015) – Makes homesickness, new beginnings and finding your place feel unexpectedly hopeful.

37. The Intouchables (2011) – A friendship story with enough warmth to cut through even the worst mood.

38. The Farewell (2019) – Makes family, food and complicated love feel more important than whatever is trending.

39. The Personal History of David Copperfield (2019) – A colourful reminder that your story doesn’t have to go according to plan.

40. Fantastic Mr. Fox (2009) – Makes being eccentric, difficult and impeccably dressed seem like perfectly reasonable life choices.

41. The Big Lebowski (1998) – The dude teaches you that sometimes the healthiest response to chaos is simply going bowling.

42. School of Rock (2003) – A two-hour argument for enthusiasm over competence.

43. The Full Monty (1997) – Makes friendship and desperation surprisingly joyful.

44. Harold and Maude (1971) – Probably the strangest possible reminder to actually get out there and live.

45. The Castle (1997) – Proof that ordinary people can be heroic without ever becoming particularly extraordinary.

46. The Trip (2010) – Two men eat excellent food, do terrible impressions and somehow make friendship look profound.

47. The Worst Person in the World (2021) – A messy reminder that you don’t need to have your entire life figured out.

48. Little Women (2019) – Makes ambition, friendship, creativity and family feel like things worth fighting for.

49. The Young Girls of Rochefort (1967) – Sometimes the answer really is singing, dancing and wearing an excellent outfit.

50. The Straight Story (1999) – Ends the list with perhaps cinema’s simplest message: slow down, keep going and appreciate the people you meet.