A writer’s life is often complicated, creating themes and narratives that could easily become best-seller films. From struggling with writer’s block to searching for ideas in the oddest places, the work requires commitment, creativity, and zeal. A writer’s life is in itself a struggle, not to mention the need for balance between fiction and reality for creative writers. Others struggle with emotional issues resulting from the crazy deadlines and immense pressure from customers, editors, and publishers. As a result, other writers have found gripping contextual narratives about writing sufficient to create mind-boggling films. In this article, we analyze some of the best movies about writers on Netflix.
Here Are The Top 5 Best Movies about Writers on Netflix
Swimming Pool (2003)
Don’t let the title fool you. This film is not about swimming, maybe figuratively. The plot is designed to reflect the contextual challenges of writer’s block with a spin to create a thriller. A middle-aged spinster novelist, Sara, is stuck in a pool of struggles as she tries to emulate her previous best-selling release with a new novel. She moves to her publisher’s villa to clear her mind as she strives to meet the deadline for the new book. Sara’s stay in the villa quickly transitions into an emotional and physical thriller when a murderous psychopath shows up, claiming to be John’s (the publisher) daughter, Julie. The story evolves as the writer slowly drifts and becomes embroiled in Julie’s promiscuous life as she searches for ideas to include in her book. Sara even gets involved in a murder cover-up when Julie kills a local waiter. The two worked together to protect the secret, despite their differences. The film ends with a cliffhanger as the writer realizes that the woman she had spent time with at the summer villa was not John’s daughter.
Adaptation (2002)
This is yet another mind-boggling emotional and physical thriller about a simple struggle with writer’s block that transitions into a nerve-wracking storyline. Charlie, a self-loathing screenplay writer, struggles with comorbid mood disorders impeding his ability to create a film adaptation of Susan Orlean’s The Orchid Thief. His social anxiety and depression complicate his search for details, forcing him to engage his socially confident brother Donald, a freeloader making millions from his first screenplay. Donald impersonates Charlie in a meeting with Susan Orlean but finds the information collated from the interview insufficient. The brothers decide to spy on the novelist, following her to Florida, where she meets her book’s protagonist Laroche. Charlie and Donald uncover a criminal network producing a mind-altering drug, exposing themselves to a hunt as Orlean and Laroche attempt a cover-up. Donald dies in the chase, but the epiphany, in the end, yields a complete script for the screenplay adaptation and unites Charlie with his mother.
Life hack: Need help writing a movie review or an academic essay? Contact Custom Writings, a professional essay writing service specializing in academic, content, and creative writing. The company has a vast experience in all educational disciplines and assignments, including research, reviews, essays, and reflections. Their trained writers can produce custom-written papers from scratch and amend, proofread, or improve existing ones.
Stranger than Fiction (2006)
Stranger than Fiction is one of the most interesting movies about writers you can find on Netflix. The plot is a tragicomedy about an IRS officer, Harrod Crick, who loses control of his life to a writer’s narration after resetting his watch by the roadside. His life becomes complicated as he discovers that a voice in his head seems to control events in his real life. Crick seeks help from a psychologist who advises him to contact a literary expert. As a result, he abandons his assignment to audit Anna Pascal, a baker he falls in love with and later dates. Crick later discovers the narrator’s identity, Karen Eiffel, and engages her, helping her overcome writer’s block and save his life. This film outlines all the stages of writing and exemplifies a writer’s power over their characters.
Shakespeare in Love (1998)
Shakespeare in Love is an award-winning dramedy about one of the greatest English writers to have walked the earth. It is one of the best movies about famous writers demonstrating the thin line between reality and fiction in a creative writer’s life. The film illustrates the eternal struggles of writer’s block and the consequent intrigues of a romantic relationship. The storyline creates an entangled connection of lovers and political powers as a struggling writer, Marlowe, and a witty Shakespeare lie themselves into trouble leading to the former’s death. The dramedy also features a love triangle sustained by slick moves and sacrifices but fails due to the perceived risks. This film is a mesmerizing comedy for Shakespeare lovers.
Mary Shelley (2017)
Mary Shelley is one of the best movies about writers on Netflix, a biography of a famous English novelist by the same name. The main protagonist authored some of the best novels, including Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus, which has not become a legend. Notably, the film recreates Shelley’s romantic life with Percy, her inspiration for writing the aforementioned top-rated novel in 1818. It tells an intriguing story filled with adventure and life-threatening experiences that culminated in the transformation of a young dreamer into a writer. It tells the story of the storyteller, illuminating her position among the world’s greatest.
Why Watch Films about Writers
Writing is an adventurous career filled with memorable events and challenges that only writers can comprehend. Besides struggling with deadlines and writer’s block, one must strike a balance between reality and fiction. This situation often creates a thin line that writers repeatedly cross, leading to mental illnesses. Writing requires solitude, creating loud, silent moments that can drive one to insanity.
However, a writer’s stories and journeys through the writing career are often captivating and can form the bases for fantastic films. Like other artists, writers tell more than imaginary stories. Their works reveal significant details about their lives and experiences. They also inadvertently share their fears and emotions with readers. Hence, understanding the writer’s world can be informative, helping people conceptualize the conditions beyond the plot, especially for creative writing. That novel you love can tell you a lot about the author as the storyline contains hidden values, fears, and imaginations that the writer used to create a fictional character.
Films about writers help remove the veil that separates readers from the authors, reassigning the reality and humanity created by the books. I force the audience to view writers as people with real-life challenges and appreciate their commitment to making a masterpiece. Movies about writers eliminate stereotypes and expand people’s understanding of the profession.