BACK TO THE FUTURE
Robert Zemeckis 1985
Marty McFly: “Hey, Doc, we better back up. We don’t have enough road to get up to 88.” Dr Emmett Brown: “Roads? Where we’re going, we don’t need roads.” USE: for sudden bursts of courage, perspective on your own timeline,
WARNING: may cause spontaneous air guitar outbursts, uncontrollable
nostalgia, and the urge to hit 88 miles per hour.
13
12
and renewed motivation to change one small thing today that could reshape tomorrow.
BACK TO THE FUTURE
Robert Zemeckis 1985
Marty McFly: “Hey, Doc, we better back up. We don’t have enough road to get up to 88.” Dr Emmett Brown: “Roads? Where we’re going, we don’t need roads.” USE: for sudden bursts of courage, perspective on your own timeline,
WARNING: may cause spontaneous air guitar outbursts, uncontrollable
nostalgia, and the urge to hit 88 miles per hour.
13
12
and renewed motivation to change one small thing today that could reshape tomorrow.
THE MATRIX
Lana and Lilly Wachowski 1999
Morpheus: “This is your last chance. After this, there is no turning back. You take the blue pill – the story ends, you wake up in your bed and believe whatever you want to believe. You take the red pill – you stay in Wonderland and I show you how deep the rabbit hole goes.” USE: for acute episodes of existential numbness, compulsive sleepwalking through daily life, and the persistent inability to question the nature of one’s own reality. Also effective in cases of mild red-pill deficiency.
you start seeing the water, you cannot unsee it. Do not take if you are currently dependent on the comfort of routine, the illusion of free will, or the belief that your commute has any meaning whatsoever. Not recommended for people who have recently signed a mortgage, started a pension plan, or told themselves things are basically fine.
45
44
WARNING: may cause irreversible loss of faith in everyday life. Once
THE MATRIX
Lana and Lilly Wachowski 1999
Morpheus: “This is your last chance. After this, there is no turning back. You take the blue pill – the story ends, you wake up in your bed and believe whatever you want to believe. You take the red pill – you stay in Wonderland and I show you how deep the rabbit hole goes.” USE: for acute episodes of existential numbness, compulsive sleepwalking through daily life, and the persistent inability to question the nature of one’s own reality. Also effective in cases of mild red-pill deficiency.
you start seeing the water, you cannot unsee it. Do not take if you are currently dependent on the comfort of routine, the illusion of free will, or the belief that your commute has any meaning whatsoever. Not recommended for people who have recently signed a mortgage, started a pension plan, or told themselves things are basically fine.
45
44
WARNING: may cause irreversible loss of faith in everyday life. Once
ADAPTATION
Spike Jonze 2002
Charlie Kaufman: “To begin... To begin... How to start? I’m hungry. I should get coffee. […] Okay, so I need to establish the themes. Maybe a banana-nut. That’s a good muffin.”
WARNING: may cause sudden recognition of your own internal narrator, compulsive self-diagnosis, and an irrational belief that coffee is a medically necessary prerequisite for starting anything.
51
50
USE: for acute self-consciousness, chronic overthinking, and screenplay-related paralysis; helps patients observe their inner monologue without obeying it and may restore partial functionality through radical honesty.
ADAPTATION
Spike Jonze 2002
Charlie Kaufman: “To begin... To begin... How to start? I’m hungry. I should get coffee. […] Okay, so I need to establish the themes. Maybe a banana-nut. That’s a good muffin.”
WARNING: may cause sudden recognition of your own internal narrator, compulsive self-diagnosis, and an irrational belief that coffee is a medically necessary prerequisite for starting anything.
51
50
USE: for acute self-consciousness, chronic overthinking, and screenplay-related paralysis; helps patients observe their inner monologue without obeying it and may restore partial functionality through radical honesty.
THELMA & LOUISE
Ridley Scott 1991
Thelma: “Let’s not get caught. […] Let’s keep goin’!” Louise: “You sure?” Thelma: “Yeah. Yeah.”
WARNING: may cause sudden weekend departures, loss of interest in asking permission, prolonged staring at open highways, and the conviction that the Grand Canyon is closer than it looks. Do not operate heavy machinery, but do operate a green 1966 Thunderbird.
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64
USE: relief from the quiet conviction that your life was decided for you; a reminder that two days, one car, and one decision can rearrange everything.
THELMA & LOUISE
Ridley Scott 1991
Thelma: “Let’s not get caught. […] Let’s keep goin’!” Louise: “You sure?” Thelma: “Yeah. Yeah.”
WARNING: may cause sudden weekend departures, loss of interest in asking permission, prolonged staring at open highways, and the conviction that the Grand Canyon is closer than it looks. Do not operate heavy machinery, but do operate a green 1966 Thunderbird.
65
64
USE: relief from the quiet conviction that your life was decided for you; a reminder that two days, one car, and one decision can rearrange everything.
EX MACHINA
Alex Garland 2014
Nathan: “[…] When I woke up this morning, I said, that’s it, time to hit the old detox. […] I’m on brown rice and mineral water.”
USE: for quiet existential dread, philosophical unease, and the
nagging suspicion that the smartest person in the room is not a person. Also effective for an acute appreciation of brutalist architecture and Norwegian wilderness. Additionally recommended for those seeking inspiration to simplify, detoxify, and reset – to strip everything back to the bare essentials. Best consumed with brown rice and mineral water.
chatbots, and anyone who seems just a little too calm. Do not take it if you are easily unsettled by questions you cannot answer. Secondary side effects include a sudden urge to skip dinner and stare out of a very large window at a river.
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WARNING: may cause prolonged discomfort around voice assistants,
EX MACHINA
Alex Garland 2014
Nathan: “[…] When I woke up this morning, I said, that’s it, time to hit the old detox. […] I’m on brown rice and mineral water.”
USE: for quiet existential dread, philosophical unease, and the
nagging suspicion that the smartest person in the room is not a person. Also effective for an acute appreciation of brutalist architecture and Norwegian wilderness. Additionally recommended for those seeking inspiration to simplify, detoxify, and reset – to strip everything back to the bare essentials. Best consumed with brown rice and mineral water.
chatbots, and anyone who seems just a little too calm. Do not take it if you are easily unsettled by questions you cannot answer. Secondary side effects include a sudden urge to skip dinner and stare out of a very large window at a river.
71
70
WARNING: may cause prolonged discomfort around voice assistants,
BOYHOOD
Richard Linklater 2014
Nicole: “You know how everyone’s always saying seize the moment? […] I’m kinda thinking it’s the other way around. […] Like the moment seizes us.” Mason: “It’s like it’s always right now, you know?”
USE: for anyone who has forgotten that their own life is worth watching. Recommended for restless souls, chronic upgraders, and anyone who has spent more time scrolling through other people’s lives than living their own. Take once, slowly, over 165 minutes. Best consumed on an ordinary evening, on the sofa, and in your pyjamas. Do not rush.
at the people you love. Prolonged exposure to ordinary moments may result in the sudden, uncomfortable realisation that your life is already enough, that it always was, and that you just weren’t looking.
123
122
WARNING: may cause you to look up from your phone and stare quietly
BOYHOOD
Richard Linklater 2014
Nicole: “You know how everyone’s always saying seize the moment? […] I’m kinda thinking it’s the other way around. […] Like the moment seizes us.” Mason: “It’s like it’s always right now, you know?”
USE: for anyone who has forgotten that their own life is worth watching. Recommended for restless souls, chronic upgraders, and anyone who has spent more time scrolling through other people’s lives than living their own. Take once, slowly, over 165 minutes. Best consumed on an ordinary evening, on the sofa, and in your pyjamas. Do not rush.
at the people you love. Prolonged exposure to ordinary moments may result in the sudden, uncomfortable realisation that your life is already enough, that it always was, and that you just weren’t looking.
123
122
WARNING: may cause you to look up from your phone and stare quietly
COOL HAND LUKE
Stuart Rosenberg 1967
Dragline: “He was smiling. […] He had it on his face right to the very end. […] That old Luke smile. […] Cool Hand Luke. Hell, he’s a naturalborn world-shaker.” USE: for chronic resistance to being told what to do. Relieves symptoms of quiet surrender, accumulated smallness, and the persistent feeling that the walls are closing in. Best taken before the day starts.
of adversity. Side effects include a sudden inability to act surprised when people behave badly, mild contempt for self-pity, and a growing suspicion that the guards were never really in charge.
129
128
WARNING: may cause an uncontrollable urge to grin in the face
COOL HAND LUKE
Stuart Rosenberg 1967
Dragline: “He was smiling. […] He had it on his face right to the very end. […] That old Luke smile. […] Cool Hand Luke. Hell, he’s a naturalborn world-shaker.” USE: for chronic resistance to being told what to do. Relieves symptoms of quiet surrender, accumulated smallness, and the persistent feeling that the walls are closing in. Best taken before the day starts.
of adversity. Side effects include a sudden inability to act surprised when people behave badly, mild contempt for self-pity, and a growing suspicion that the guards were never really in charge.
129
128
WARNING: may cause an uncontrollable urge to grin in the face
THE EIGHT MOUNTAINS
Felix Van Groeningen and Charlotte Vandermeersch 2022
Pietro: “I never thought I would find a friend like Bruno in my life, nor that friendship could be a place where you put down your roots and that waits for you.”
WARNING: may cause an urgent desire to call an old friend, build something with your hands, or move to the Alps, permanently.
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186
USE: for anyone who has ever let a friendship drift. Take when you need reminding that some bonds do not break – they just wait. Best administered in the mountains, or anywhere with a sweeping view.
THE EIGHT MOUNTAINS
Felix Van Groeningen and Charlotte Vandermeersch 2022
Pietro: “I never thought I would find a friend like Bruno in my life, nor that friendship could be a place where you put down your roots and that waits for you.”
WARNING: may cause an urgent desire to call an old friend, build something with your hands, or move to the Alps, permanently.
187
186
USE: for anyone who has ever let a friendship drift. Take when you need reminding that some bonds do not break – they just wait. Best administered in the mountains, or anywhere with a sweeping view.
LÉON: THE PROFESSIONAL
Luc Besson 1994
Léon: “You’re not going to lose me. You’ve given me a taste for life. I wanna be happy. Sleep in a bed, have roots. And you’ll never be alone again, Mathilda.”
WARNING: may cause an overwhelming urge to buy a houseplant and wipe its leaves with a damp cloth every single morning.
193
192
USE: for the treatment of emotional numbness, chronic loneliness, and the inability to let anyone in. Also effective against the belief that it is too late to connect with another human being. Best taken with a full glass of cold milk.
LÉON: THE PROFESSIONAL
Luc Besson 1994
Léon: “You’re not going to lose me. You’ve given me a taste for life. I wanna be happy. Sleep in a bed, have roots. And you’ll never be alone again, Mathilda.”
WARNING: may cause an overwhelming urge to buy a houseplant and wipe its leaves with a damp cloth every single morning.
193
192
USE: for the treatment of emotional numbness, chronic loneliness, and the inability to let anyone in. Also effective against the belief that it is too late to connect with another human being. Best taken with a full glass of cold milk.
STALKER
Andrei Tarkovsky 1979
Stalker: “There’s no going back. Nobody goes back the same way they came.” WARNING: may cause metaphysical dizziness, obsessive pacing through industrial ruins, a persistent suspicion that your deepest wish is not the one you first imagined, and an irreversible tendency to interpret every abandoned building as a portal to your innermost desires.
289
288
USE: for the gradual dissolution of certainty, controlled exposure to metaphysical unease, and prolonged contemplation of what you truly want from life – gentle destabilisation of borrowed ambitions and a slow release of clarity about the desires that actually belong to you.
STALKER
Andrei Tarkovsky 1979
Stalker: “There’s no going back. Nobody goes back the same way they came.” WARNING: may cause metaphysical dizziness, obsessive pacing through industrial ruins, a persistent suspicion that your deepest wish is not the one you first imagined, and an irreversible tendency to interpret every abandoned building as a portal to your innermost desires.
289
288
USE: for the gradual dissolution of certainty, controlled exposure to metaphysical unease, and prolonged contemplation of what you truly want from life – gentle destabilisation of borrowed ambitions and a slow release of clarity about the desires that actually belong to you.
ONE MOVIE A DAY KEEPS THE DOCTOR AWAY
Composing and writing JOOST JOOSSEN Illustrations & graphic design BART KIGGEN Text editing WILLIAM THOMAS LOFTIE About the author
Joost Joossen is a freelance photographer who loves to read, write and watch movies. For over twenty years, he has been shooting for magazines, newspapers, television, NGOs, advertising agencies, and art galleries. Joost also teaches and gives inspiring workshops on looking, seeing, and being.
D/2026/12.005/4 ISBN 9789460584008 NUR 473
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