Recent world events have landed a lot of people cooped up at home with very little prospect of venturing forth anytime soon. And quite right - we all have to do our bit.

For some people, myself included, spending all week indoors is not exactly a novel idea. I’d wager there are more than a few seasoned self-isolation masters out there. But it goes without saying that for some people it’s restrictive, frustrating and, at times, mind-numbingly boring. But staying indoors doesn’t have to be a necessary evil. It can, when done right, become a joy, a pleasure even. There are all sorts of ways to turn quarantine into a valuable personal experience, a unique time that you may even learn to love. Amongst the creative projects, recipe-learning, video-game mastering and quality napping that can form a few weeks of self-isolation, one activity towers above others: film watching.

Films can transform the dullest of dull afternoons into a revitalizing occasion. You just have to pick the right ones. So, with that said, here are eight quarantine classics to help you through the coming weeks.

Spirited Away (2001 – Hayao Miyazaki)

For sheer escapism.

Over the two decades since its release, Spirited Away has become pretty much mandatory viewing all across the world. Its memorable characters, beautiful art style and fanciful storyline are inspiring and touching to audiences of all ages. When you’re house-bound, Spirited Away, a story about a young girl being carried off from her mundane existence into a magical spirit world, is a perfect remedy to the monotony of the four walls serving as your captor. The dreamlike nature to young Chihiro’s journey will be sure to lift your spirits and allow your mind to transcend its physical boundaries… for a few hours at least.

The Big Lebowski (1998 – The Coen Brothers)

For kindred spirits.

It’s week 3 of isolation. Your hair is matted, your pajamas have fused to your body. You swagger with undeserved confidence to pour yourself another drink, brushing the cheese puff residue from the lapels of your dressing gown. You’ve done it, you are The Dude. The Big Lebowski presents the classic, timeless tale of a man living the isolated, slacker lifestyle, except without any governmental instruction. The Coen Brothers’ iconic comedy never misses a beat in telling its wacky tale, simultaneously delivering a strangely profound lesson in the philosophy of Dudeism. And if anyone questions you as you prepare to watch your third film without interruption, just let them know: The Dude Abides.

Download The Big Lebowski script PDF for personal, private use here.

Train To Busan (2016 - Yeon Sang-ho)

For the fear factor.

It’s cutting it close to the nerve, but the arrival of the new pandemic has seen a surge in interest directed towards virus films. The vast majority of virus films are zombie films and Train To Busan, is one of the most compelling. Korean film has enjoyed a real boon over the last twelve months, but, in truth, it has been excellent for years and years. Train To Busan portrays a classic zombie scenario, as the z-virus works its way along a train, carriage by carriage, on its way from Seoul to Busan. Our heroes are a young girl and her workaholic, fund manager father, battling their way through zombie hordes, desperately trying to avoid succumbing to their increasingly ravenous fellow-passengers. Thrilling, scary stuff.

The Tree Of Life (2011 – Terrence Malik)

For taking advantage of your spare time.

To completely 180˚ for a moment, The Tree of Life is a film that’s all about the big picture, which is appropriate for a film that is itself ‘a big picture’ (sorry). At a tick over three hours long, Malik’s sprawling, intensely beautiful epic does somewhat exclude itself from regular weeknight viewing. But in quarantine time, three hours is but a drop in the ocean. Take advantage of the yawning expanse of time in front of you and sink your teeth into one of the most remarkable cinematic achievements of all time, guaranteed to be unlike anything else you will have seen before. The chronicle of a typical 1960s Texan family quickly becomes a vast, existential exposé, handling everything from faith, family and rites of passage to the nature of life itself. The cinematography and soundtrack alone will elevate your thoughts to grand heights, leaving behind the squall of toilet paper shortages and conference call protocols, and powerful performances from Brad Pitt and Jessica Chastain will leave a permanent impression.

Download The Tree of Life script PDF for personal, private use here.

Lost In Translation (2003 – Sofia Coppola)

For ruminating on loneliness.

Loneliness in these difficult times can be a serious issue. But wherever there is a serious issue, you can bet there’s a film handling it. Lost In Translation is the story of two Americans (a pair of pitch-perfect performances from Bill Murray and Scarlet Johansson) who, in spite of being in a city with over 8 million people, feel desperately alone. The two meet by chance at their Tokyo Hotel, Murray a famous American actor in town for some advertisement work, Johansson the tag-along with her disinterested boyfriend. The friendship they strike up is one of the most unusual in any film ever made and it goes a long way towards tackling the issue of loneliness and what can be done to resolve it. Thought provoking and disarmingly funny.

Download the Lost in Translation script PDF for personal, private use here.

The Last Days/Los Últimos Días (2013 – Alex Pastor & David Pastor)

For an atypical apocalypse.

Zombies? No. Deadly pandemic? No. Mega-earthquake, asteroid shower, alien invasion, global warming, nuclear war? No, no, no, no and no. The apocalypse in the intriguing, compelling Spanish movie The Last Days comes in a more topical form: mass agoraphobia. Admittedly said fear-of-leaving-the-house is spread through an illness, but this is still one of the most unique apocalypse loglines I’ve come across. Infection seems to only have affected a handful of people for a few months and then, all of a sudden, everyone has it. People are trapped in homes, in office buildings, in their cars even all contained by the knowledge that a few steps into the open air they will be so fear-stricken that a seizure will occur, possibly followed by death. If you’re feeling in the mood to aggravate your apocalypse fears even further, this is the movie for you.

Her (2013 – Spike Jonze)

For cozying up to technology.

Self-isolation is a time where it becomes very, very clear how much we rely on technology, and how difficult life would be without it. In Her, Joaquin Phoenix’s Theodore Twombly takes that notion to the extreme, his introverted, lonely existence suddenly lit up with presence of a new A.I. system (voiced by Scarlett Johansson), which he fairly swiftly falls in love with. Though not representative of any tech we have on hand at present (I can’t see anyone wooing Alexa anytime soon), there are some highly relevant conversations about the role technology can play in our lives and how we turn to it as a way to stave off loneliness.

Download Her script PDF for personal, private use here.

You’ve Got Mail (1998 – Nora Ephron)

For the quarantine romance.

Speaking of technology and romance, this is an altogether different take on this topical topic; an iconic 90s rom-com starring Tom Hanks (who is hopefully resting up and catching up on some films as we speak) and Meg Ryan as two real life enemies and online lovers, playing out the kind of dial-up Romeo and Juliet that only the 90s Hollywood machine could have produced. Though the tech is outdated, the idea of an email-based relationship isn’t far off what many people are currently navigating with their significant others, and the charm of the setting and story and the naturalistic chemistry of the two leads make for an excellent antidote to the emptiness of isolation.

Download You’ve Got Mail script PDF for personal, private use here.

8 Perfect Movies for Self-isolated Viewing