10 Inspiring 2026 Films Showcasing Human Excellence

Each year, the Greater Good team honors films with Greater Goodies awards for their portrayal of human strengths and virtues. The 2026 selection features cinematic works from various corners of the globe, with several emphasizing themes of love, courage, and human connection. Is this coincidence? It might not be. Filmmakers worldwide could be channeling these qualities amid the polycrisis—a term introduced by sociologist Edgar Morin to capture the intertwined political, social, and environmental challenges we face. Alternatively, these films might simply aim to entertain and uplift us in everyday life. Regardless, we believe you'll discover inspiring stories here that encourage you to tap into your highest potential.

The Purpose Award: The Alabama Solution

This poignant documentary, helmed by directors Andrew Jarecki and Charlotte Kaufman, delves deeply into Alabama's prison system, viewed largely through the perspectives of the inmates themselves. Smuggled phone videos capture appalling living conditions and brutal mistreatment by guards. As incarcerated individuals and their loved ones push for state accountability and a fairer environment, they confront entrenched discriminatory attitudes head-on.

In Charles Dickens' novel Little Dorrit, he describes the prison as "like a well, like a vault, like a tomb," oblivious to the light beyond its walls. The enforced isolation evokes profound distress. Yet, The Alabama Solution reveals how these men discover their own illumination through mutual solidarity, education, and a shared commitment to advocating for civil and human rights. Witnessing their resilience—even in solitary confinement—ignites hope and motivation among them, offering a humbling testament to the human spirit.

Viktor Frankl, a Holocaust survivor and psychiatrist, posited in Man’s Search for Meaning that our core motivation lies in discovering purpose, even under the harshest conditions—a notion supported by later studies linking purpose to survival. For some inmates, this manifests in personal growth through education; remarkably, obtaining a college degree behind bars proves to be the most effective rehabilitation strategy. Others channel purpose into reforming the system itself. Society has options beyond current punitive approaches to justice, and embracing them would integrate the well-being of those accused of crimes into our collective mission. — Ravi Chandra

The Art of Surrender Award: Come See Me in the Good Light

Picture this: two poets connecting deeply on a dance floor in Oakland, California. Andrea Gibson, the rebellious icon of spoken-word poetry akin to James Dean, and Megan Falley, the sharp-witted, red-lipped darling of the scene. Andrea invited Meg to join her in Colorado, but like many relationships, theirs encountered turbulence, culminating in a near-breakup overshadowed by Andrea's ovarian cancer diagnosis.

Come See Me in the Good Light chronicles the highs and lows of living with Andrea's illness. In an era where major studios rarely invest in stories of queer poets battling cancer, this film emerged through the dedication of Andrea and Meg's friends, who stepped up as executive producers to secure funding and connections.

The result is a nuanced tutorial on embracing surrender. Andrea and Meg demonstrate how a devoted creative practice equips us to accept life's unpredictability—to fully experience emotions, invite others into our journey, and persist. They reveal poetry's role in overcoming suicidal thoughts and societal fat-shaming. Viewers observe their artistic tools keeping them grounded amid devastating diagnoses, celebratory dance parties, and everyday absurdities like a malfunctioning mailbox.

This profound partnership among Andrea, Meg, and their supporters underscores how all forms of art prepare us to face mortality while truly living until the final moments. — Kelly Rafferty

The Extraordinary Courage Award: Homebound

Homebound narrates the tale of two lifelong friends confronting life's brutal truths in a remote North Indian village, armed with extraordinary bravery and steadfast loyalty. Shoaib, a Muslim, and Chandan, a Dalit from one of India's most marginalized castes historically deemed untouchable, endure constant prejudice based on caste and faith. They aspire to join the police force, viewing it as their sole route to the respect they've been denied.

Fate intervenes differently: a flawed testing process and the abrupt COVID-19 lockdown shatter their ambitions. Drawing inspiration from a 2020 New York Times piece by Basharat Peer, the film mirrors the plight of millions of Indian migrant laborers upended by the national shutdown. Jobs vanished instantly, urban survival became impossible without transport, prompting desperate treks home through scorching heat—much like Shoaib (Ishaan Khatter) and Chandan (Vishal Jethwa). The narrative intimately captures the anguish of navigating uncertainty during a worldwide crisis.

The film's potency lies in its depiction of diverse courage types: daring to dream amid insurmountable barriers; unwavering allegiance transcending societal rifts; venturing from village comfort to urban unknowns; gambling everything for a fragile chance at security; persevering through unimaginable ordeals; and proudly owning one's identity while discarding undeserved guilt. Despite the journey's heavy burdens, they press forward, step by resolute step. — Aakash A. Chowkase

The Embrace-Your-Demons Award: KPop Demon Hunters

By day, they're a chart-topping KPop sensation; by night, demon slayers. This is the dual existence of the trio HUNTR/X. For generations, women have wielded their voices against soul-devouring demons. Now, Rumi, Mira, and Zoey inherit this mantle.

Enter the Saja Boys, a rival boy band that's no ordinary threat—they're demons ensnaring HUNTR/X's fans' souls! A clash of good versus evil ensues, both in performances and shadows. Meanwhile, Rumi harbors a concealed truth that threatens to upend everything, eroding her bonds with friends, fans, and her own sense of self.

As HUNTR/X pursues victory over the Saja Boys, Rumi's inner turmoil peaks. Anxiety and shame silence her voice, leading to withdrawal from her concerned bandmates. The story illustrates that suppressing your flaws functions temporarily—until collapse. Like Rumi, one must choose to integrate those fragments or let chaos reign. The core takeaway? Self-acceptance, flaws included, fuels true flourishing. — Mariah J. Flynn

The Ordinary Courage Award: The Librarians

'I never dreamed this could happen,' confesses an unnamed librarian at the outset of The Librarians, directed by Kim A. Snyder. 'We never thought we'd be in the spotlight. We're meant to be invisible stewards of spaces and resources.'

This documentary tracks public and school librarians across Texas, Louisiana, Florida, and beyond as they resist, with quiet conviction, waves of book bans and censorship driven by political fervor. Targeted titles cover slavery's history, the Ku Klux Klan, desegregation efforts, and explorations of gender and sexuality.

I viewed it alongside my partner Michelle, a public librarian, who sees book challenges as merely one battleground. Libraries face severe funding slashes precisely when societal woes intensify: aiding those with mental health crises, connecting kids and seniors to services, guiding immigrants through bureaucracy, equipping jobless individuals without home computers, and more.

'Entering librarianship is like any deep commitment—you can't predict the ferocity required,' she reflected. 'I admire my colleagues' dedication, and equally those who've stepped away to safeguard their well-being.' Similar sentiments echo among teachers, healthcare workers, and reporters.

The Librarians paints a stark picture of authoritarianism's ascent in America. Yet its true power spotlights everyday women (and men) thrust into unwanted fights, their everyday bravery a model we might all emulate soon. — Jeremy Adam Smith

The Connectedness Award: Little Amélie or the Character of Rain

Ever sensed yourself as the universe's focal point? Little Amélie or the Character of Rain probes this sensation via Amélie's journey from babyhood to girlhood, delving into a child's vivid inner world.

Directed by Maïlys Vallade and Liane-Cho Han, adapted from Amélie Nothomb's novel, it authentically depicts childhood—not idealized, but raw, where the self reigns supreme before reality intrudes. Watching with my children, I relived accelerated growth through youth's stages.

Amélie notes, 'At three, you perceive everything yet comprehend nothing.' The solitary weight is immense. Her initial white chocolate bliss evokes divine ecstasy. Life's inaugural encounters dazzle: being truly seen, spring's vivid hues, animal wonders, books, spinning toys, decoding one's name and destiny.

Much of the film portrays Amélie as divine, self-naming God. Haven't we all felt omnipotent in childhood, brimming with potential at reality's core? This exhilarating yet daunting sensation ties to isolation, worry, and sadness. Navigating beauty, sorrow, affection, and absence, Amélie realizes she's not central—connections with others imbue life with purpose. — Lauren Lee

The Prosocial Deception Award: Rental Family

Rental Family spotlights a Japanese firm crafting simulated family dynamics for emotional or logistical needs. If this strikes you as odd, the film offers profound insights.

'We deliver emotions,' states leader Shinji Tada (Takehiro Hira). 'We embody roles—parents, siblings, partners, confidants—to bridge what's absent.' He notes, 'Mental health stigma drives people to alternatives like us.'

Shinji recruits down-on-his-luck actor Phillip Vandarpleog (Brendan Fraser) as the team's 'token white guy.' Soon, a woman employs him as a prosperous white father to aid her mixed-race, out-of-wedlock daughter's elite school admission. As Phillip bonds with the girl, the plot veers into emotional depths, questioning their facade's ethics.

Characters falter and make dubious choices, yet the film compellingly argues that self- or other-deception can foster joy, while warning of repercussions. It embraces this tension without resolution, highlighting its reality.

Central query: How discern harmful lies from benevolent ones? As protagonists grapple, viewers are prompted to decide. — Jeremy Adam Smith

The Melancholy Love Award: The Secret Agent

Kleber Mendonça Filho, Brazil's premier director, delivers The Secret Agent, a 2026 Best Picture Oscar contender.

Set mainly in 1977 Brazil amid corruption, state terror, and dictatorship—termed 'great mischief'—it follows Armando (Wagner Moura, Best Actor nominee), a compassionate scientist fleeing killers for hidden motives. His son's fixation on Jaws' poster symbolizes lurking violence.

An early highlight: Armando finds refuge in Dona Sebastiana's (Tânia Maria) home. This 77-year-old sage shelters him; he assumes the alias Marcelo.

Amid peril, Marcelo treats all warmly, embodying Brazil's affectionate culture laced with saudade—a poignant blend of melancholy, yearning, and peace. Through intricate developments, the film unveils love as life's true anchor, fostering growth, solace, security, and recovery. It inspires steadfast love in adversity. — Ravi Chandra

The Greater Goodness Award: Superman

Recent decades have darkened Superman into a brooding, destructive figure. In 2013's Man of Steel, his Metropolis clash with General Zod kills thousands, ending in murder.

That's antithetical to superheroes: aspirational tales of power wielded benevolently, guiding real-world leaders. Skewering Superman as a tyrant (like The Boys' Homelander) suits satire, not heroism.

James Gunn's 2025 Superman is earnest, wholesome escapism.

Prime example: Superman (David Corenswet) rescues a squirrel, defying test audience critiques—wisely, as it distinguishes this pure-hearted iteration. Ludicrous yet virtuous, it affirms all life's sanctity.

Prime two: Krypto the Superdog. Every moment with this super-powered pup delights; nothing surpasses a loyal canine companion.

Skip intellectual depth; embrace a heartfelt goodness that uplifts your worldview. Superman concludes: 'I'm as human as anyone. I love. I fear. Daily, unsure, I step forward, choosing wisely despite errors. That's humanity—my supreme power.' — Jeremy Adam Smith

The Braver Love Award: Together

With Gen Z and millennial marriage rates plummeting, Together—a body-horror thriller by Michael Shanks—probes commitment aversion.

Tim (Dave Franco) and Millie (Alison Brie), longtime partners dodging marriage, relocate rurally, encountering a force fusing them literally.

Surface gore shocks, but deeper, it compassionately dissects couples hesitant to deepen bonds.

Love's mysteries fuel endless narratives, from Romeo and Juliet's doom to rom-coms. Together innovatively portrays love's might, urging escape from stagnation. Commitment terrifies, the film posits, but cowardice breeds worse horrors. — Zaid Jilani