I am a lover of films.

Always have, always will. Guilty as charged.

Growing up, a variation of movies were played for me. My dad was confident in his attempt to make me love great films and he definitely completed his mission. All those afternoons of the Sound of Music playing on repeat in the living rubbed their lovely colors off on me and I fell head-over-heels in love with the best of the best.

At least, the best in my opinion.

Many people have different concepts of what a great film is, based on the emotion they are looking to receive. Some just want to laugh, some just want to smile. Others want to feel that raw sadness dragged out of their souls and into their bucket of popcorn.

I am the ladder, most of the time.

I want both comedic relief and the immense drama a pain a film has the change of bringing.There are a few films, in this lifetime, that have forever left marks on my heart. Some of them happy, some of them daunting, but all of them meaning something deeper than what is on the surface. They are where they get you. When you can walk away from a movie and see the reflection of your life in the film.

That is something incredibly special.

I. Rocky

This is by far, my absolute favorite movie. I know it seems strange for a nineteen-year-old southern girl to be obsessed with this Sylvester Stallone classic, but I cannot help it. It depicts a life of struggle that rises above victoriously. Rocky Balboa, a scrappy, boxer from the streets of Philadelphia, gets a chance to make a name for himself. The 'Italian Stallion' climbs to fame from the streets in a fight of the century against Apollo Creed. Yet, he does it without ever forgetting his roots. His roots include a rag-tag team of coaches and the great love of his life, Adrian.

II. Moonstruck

Dean Martin and his silky, pipes always get me. Get me deep. Not many people know about this award-winning film, but it is very close to my heart. Cher and Nicholas Cage star in this Italian, romantic comedy about life and its small moments that show us the importance of life. We are thrown into the life of Loretta, a woman of Brooklyn with luck that doesn't seem to go her way. When love is dropped in her lap, she is forced to come to terms with a life that is messy but filled with joy. A LA FAMILIA!!

III. Sleepless in Seattle

A movie shows how love is valuable even if it is unseen. Loving with your eyes closed. The first time I watched this Tom Hanks classic. This is the story that you hear about in dreams. Sam and his son are starting a new life in Seattle, after the death of his wife the year before. Annie, who lives across the country in Baltimore, listens to his story on a late-night radio show and falls in love with his love for his son and his desire to love again. They may be worlds apart, but love is stronger than the distance.

IV. Call Me By Your Name

The craze that has hit teenage girls across the world. And his name is Timothee Chalamet. In this film, adapted from the explosive book by Andre Aciman, the love of young Elio and Oliver is told through summer in northern Italy, years ago. Their forbidden love only makes it more real. Love through life, literature, art, and history remind them that love is precious and this world is vast, filled with people who inevitably soulmates.