Casablanca (1942)

Casablanca builds so carefully to its conclusion that when it arrives you feel genuinely moved. The love and sacrifice thread pays off in a way that's earned rather than manipulative. Couldn't sleep afterward.

We watched Casablanca together and spent an hour talking about the fight against fascism afterward. That kind of conversation doesn't happen often. The film gives you something real to think about together.

The music in Casablanca is so deeply married to the images that you almost can't separate them. It stays in your head days later and when you hear it again the emotions return immediately.

Everyone told me to watch Casablanca for years. Finally did and instantly understood why. the quotable dialogue is immediately apparent. Now I'm recommending it just as loudly to everyone else.

I've seen Casablanca multiple times now and it just keeps getting better. the wartime moral urgency is something rarely matched in cinema. If you haven't watched it yet, clear your evening.