Tortoise in Love
On a dark and wintry evening in January 2009 the village of Kingston Bagpuize and Southmoor decided to make a film. And now, over three years later, Tortoise in Love is nearing its release in UK cinemas on July 13th!
The background story and the plot of the film are highly endearing and inspirational, so to celebrate the film’s release, let’s take a look at some of the most inspiring films!
- It’s a Wonderful Life
This 1946 classic is one of the all time Christmas greats. George Bailey has spent his entire life giving to the people around him. George’s modest building and loan company is the only thing preventing rich skinflint Mr. Potter from taking over the entire town.
But on Christmas Eve, George's Uncle Billy loses the business's $8,000 while intending to deposit it in the bank. Potter finds the misplaced money and hides it from Billy.
When the bank examiner discovers the shortage later that night, George realises that he will be held responsible and sent to jail and the company will collapse, finally allowing Potter to take over the town.
Thinking of his wife, their young children, and others he loves will be better off with him dead, he contemplates suicide. But the prayers of his loved ones result in an angel named Clarence coming to earth to help George.
Inspirational message: Don’t give up even if things seem hopeless.
- Erin Brokovich
Julia Roberts plays Erin Brockovich; an unemployed single mother who is desperate to find a job but is having no luck. This losing streak even extends to a failed lawsuit against a doctor in a car accident she was in.
With no alternative, she successfully browbeats her lawyer to give her a job in compensation for the loss. To begin with no one takes her seriously, with her trashy clothes and earthy manners.
However, that soon changes when she begins to investigate a suspicious real estate case involving the Pacific Gas & Electric Company. She discovers the company is trying to buy land that was contaminated by a deadly toxic waste that the company is improperly and illegally dumping and, in turn, poisoning the residents in the area.
As she digs deeper, Erin finds herself in a series of events that would involve her lawfirm in one of the biggest class action lawsuits in American history against a multi-billion dollar corporation.
Inspirational message: Don’t let other people’s opinions stop you from achieving.
- The Pursuit of Happyness
‘The Pursuit of Happyness ‘is based on a true story about a man named Christopher Gardner. Gardner has invested heavily in a device known as a "Bone Density scanner". However, they do not sell as well as he expected as they are only marginally better than the current technology but are sold at a much higher price.
As Gardner tries to figure out how to sell them, his wife leaves him, he loses his house, his bank account, and credit cards.
Forced to live out in the streets with his son, Gardner is now desperate to find a steady job; he takes on a job as a stockbroker, but before he can receive pay, he needs to go through six months of training, and to sell his devices. Will Gardner be able to make life better for himself and his son?
Inspirational message: Don’t let anybody tell you that you can’t do something.
- Tortoise in Love
Almost four hundred villagers volunteered to make Tortoise in Love happen and the village of Kingston Bagpuize rapidly became the unlikely setting for one of the freshest and funniest films of the last few years!
The entire cast and crew stayed with villagers, the Women’s Institute organised catering on a vast scale and props, driving, costumes, make-up and a thousand other logistical tasks were all undertaken by a highly organised and frighteningly motivated army of villagers.
The village have also been instrumental in distributing their masterpiece to many smaller independent venues across the UK, in rural locations like the one it came from, in addition to the mainstream cinemas that will be showcasing the film from July 13.
Not only is the background story highly inspirational but the plot of Tortoise in Love is also admirable. The film is about Tom, gardener at the big house, who is not a fast mover with women.
In fact he's glacially slow. When beautiful Polish au pair Anya arrives for the summer, Tom falls for her catastrophically like the felling of one of the giant trees he cares for in the manicured grounds.
Tom's adviser in matters of the heart is young Harry, abandoned by the rich owners of the house to run wild in the gardens. Harry's secret wish is for the Red Arrows to appear at the village fair: Tom's is to win the heart of Anya. Both seem impossible dreams until the whole village decides to lend a hand.
Inspirational message: The sky’s the limit!
- The Bucket List
The Bucket List focuses on two terminally ill men who cross paths in a hospital after they are diagnosed with lung cancer. Through their treatments, they befriend each other and decide to escape from their hospital ward to embark on a trip to fulfill their bucket list - a list of things they want to do before they die.
In the process, both of them heal each other, become unlikely friends, and ultimately find joy in life.
Inspirational message: Live life to the full with no regrets.
- Philadelphia
Andrew Beckett, a gay lawyer infected with AIDS, is fired from his conservative law firm in fear that they might contract AIDS from him. After Andrew is fired, in a last attempt for peace, he sues his former law firm with the help of a homophobic lawyer, Joe Miller.
During the court battle, Miller sees that Beckett is no different than anyone else on the gritty streets of the city of brotherly love, sheds his homophobia and helps Beckett with his case before AIDS overcomes him.
Inspirational message: Don’t let anyone mistreat you.
Tortoise in Love is out in cinemas on July 13th.
Tagged in Its A Wonderful Life