If nothing else, Ben-Hur, directed by Timur Bekmambetov from a script by Keith R. Clarke and John Ridley, is a masterpiece of condensation. And that immediately interests me—not as a film critic, but as someone who studies the power of story. The celebrated 1959 version of the saga, once the most Oscar-winning picture of all time,…

A Two-Day Story Retreat for Anyone Who Has Ever Been Permanently Changed by a Great Film There is always one film. The one you watched at exactly the wrong age and it frightened you in ways you are still not entirely able to explain. Or the one that showed you a version of yourself you…

A review of The Curious Case of Benjamin Button suggests that the film feels “remote,” perhaps even “cold,” and that this might be due to its use of digital technology rather than traditional film. It’s a tempting idea — elegant, even — but ultimately, it mistakes the instrument for the storyteller. Because stories don’t become cold or…

Online Course: From Stories to Action From Stories to Action is a deep dive into the storytelling skills of ideation, prototyping, and iteration. This seminar will teach you how to frame your ideas as experiments and bring others in on your vision of the future. Use experimentation to learn from failure and move from incremental to…

There is a line from Leonard Cohen that I often return to: “There is a crack in everything—that’s how the light gets in.” Hemingway sharpens that idea when he writes that the world breaks people, and that many become stronger in the broken places. “Imperfect Women,” the AppleTV+ limited series based on the novel by…

The Power of Your Story: Reef Hawk’s Reckoning in Outcome* By Peter de Kuster “Outcome” centers on Reef Hawk (Keanu Reeves), a 56-year-old, two-time Oscar-winning action star who’s been a celebrity since dancing and singing on “The Tonight Show” with Johnny Carson. When we first meet him, he’s been out of the spotlight for five years,…

Online Course: Storytelling for Impact Whether you need someone to support your organization, get behind your idea, or get excited about following your lead, refining your storytelling skills can help. In this online course, you’ll learn in the footsteps of great storytellers about how to shape your idea into a story. You’ll create a story…

If mountaineering films and documentaries have taught those of us who haven’t conquered comparable heights anything, it is that climbing is both an art and a science. Not only do you need stamina, as well as muscles and lungs in top form, you also need to be a patient and instinctive problem solver, asking the…

Hello Storytelling! Learn the foundational skills and mindsets of business storytelling Develop a common language and understanding of business storytelling across your organization. This flexible, online experience introduces non-storytellers to the concepts of the storytelling process and offers business storytellers (in design, innovation, creativity, advertising, marketing, communication, PR) a tried-and-tested approach to creative problem solving….

“Crime 101” might sound like a lighthearted caper, but this film cuts deeper—straight into the underworld of personal stories that define us, trap us, and sometimes set us free. Through its jewel thief Mike Davis (Chris Hemsworth ), obsessed detective Lou Lubesnick (Mark Ruffalo ), and sharp insurance broker Sharon Colvin (Halle Berry ), it…

Abner Hale is not a simple hero or a one‑dimensional zealot. He is a man shaped by a very specific story he tells himself: “I am here to bring God’s truth to a people who do not know it.” This story is his identity, his vocation, and his armor. It lets him sail across the ocean, leave…

Brannigan (1975) – The Last Warrior and the Story You Tell Yourself In the mid‑1970s, John Wayne stepped into Brannigan not as a young gunslinger, but as a war‑hardened old warrior summoned to cross the ocean and redeploy his way of doing things in a world that no longer understands him. On the surface, Brannigan is a British‑set police‑procedural…

Your story is your life. As human beings, we continually tell ourselves stories — of success or failure; of power or victimhood; stories that endure for an hour, or a day, or an entire lifetime. We have stories about our work, our families and relationships, our health; about what we want and what we’re capable…

“Good Will Hunting” is less a story about mathematical genius than about a young man who has spent his life hiding inside a story he no longer believes in — and the people who try to help him rewrite it. The film is heartbreaking not because someone is too smart, but because he is smart enough…

“Rob Peace” feels less like a conventional biopic and more like a narrative about how a gifted life becomes entangled in stories that were never meant to be his own. The film is about a young man whose brilliance in science and vision for a better future are pulled in different directions by the stories of…

Seen through the lens of The Power of Your Story, the line “Are you alone?” in Roman Polanski’s Chinatown lands not as casual small talk, but as a quiet diagnosis of the noir hero’s inner world. The private eye’s reply — “Isn’t everybody?” — becomes, in this framework, a recognition that at the heart of the detective’s vocation…

Seen through the lens of The Power of Your Story, the Netflix Norwegian crime thriller series “Jo Nesbø’s Detective Hole” reads less like a tight puzzle and more like an unfolding psychological saga about a man whose life becomes a burden he cannot outrun. If the story had been condensed into five or six episodes, it might have…

The line “Who the [expletive] is Tommy Shelby?” that punctuates the trailers for Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man lands as a punchline, but it can also be read as the central question of the film: Who is this man, and who gets to decide? From the lens of The Power of Your Story, that line becomes a narrative mission statement…

One Battle After Another: The Story You Tell Yourself in Endless Conflict Peter de Kuster Aren’t you tired of fighting? Paul Thomas Anderson’s One Battle After Another comes along at a time in world history in which conflict seems to be the daily duty, turning Thomas Pynchon’s ’80s-set Vineland into a deeply humanist story of rebellion that will be…

In Highlander: Endgame, the eternal blade returns as the first storyteller. The clash of steel now weaves through modern shadows and ancient memories, whispering: even immortals must face endings to claim true beginnings. From a Power of Your Story perspective, the film is not just a clash of undying warriors; it’s about what happens when eternity’s survivors confront…

In Promised Land, the rural landscape is the first storyteller. The windswept fields, modest farmhouses, and endless horizons whisper: this is a place where promises clash with roots, and progress meets preservation. From a Power of Your Story perspective, the film is not just a drama about energy deals and economic temptation; it’s about what happens when individuals…

In Murder in a Small Town, the small town itself is the first storyteller. The narrow streets, cozy diners, church steeples that seem to oversee everything — all whisper: here, everyone knows your secrets long before you speak them. From a Power of Your Story perspective, the series is not just a crime drama about murder and mystery;…

In Person of Interest, the Machine is the silent storyteller — an all-seeing AI that scans the digital currents of New York City, predicting violence before it erupts. From a Power of Your Story perspective, the series is not just a thriller about surveillance and salvation; it is about what happens when ordinary lives, shadowed by past failures,…

In Virgin River, the landscape is the first storyteller. The mist over the river, the wooden cabins, the small-town streets — everything whispers: this is a place to begin again. From a Power of Your Story perspective, the series is not just about romance in a remote town; it is about what happens when wounded people dare to…

In this new 2025 Maigret, Benjamin Wainwright steps into the role of Jules Maigret not as a museum piece from a sepia-tinted past, but as a living, breathing storyteller of the human soul in a contemporary Paris. He is surrounded by smartphones, social media, and digital fingerprints, yet his true method remains stubbornly analog: he listens,…

On the surface, Game of Thrones is a story of power — who wins it, who loses it, and who pays the price. But beneath all the war cries, deceit, and ice-bound legends, lies what truly fascinates me: a vast tapestry of personal stories in collision. Each character is called, like a hero in their own epic,…

There is a small, quiet moment in the middle of the epic film Gandhi that captures everything I believe about the power of our stories. Gandhi, the man who would move an empire without lifting a weapon, stands at a lakeside with his wife and softly reenacts their marriage vows. The scene isn’t grand or triumphant. It’s…

Billy Wilder’s “Sunset Boulevard” is the portrait of a forgotten silent star, living in exile in her grotesque mansion, screening her old films, dreaming of a comeback. But it’s also a love story, and the love keeps it from becoming simply a waxworks or a freak show. Gloria Swanson gives her greatest performance as the…

The hero of Sergio Leone’s epic masterpiece “Once Upon a Time in the West” is a mysterious woman stepping down from a dusty train into a sun-baked station, and from that very moment, we find ourselves irresistibly drawn into her world—captivated by her unyielding resolve, her fragile freedom amid the lawless expanse of the frontier….

The hero of Alfred Hitchcock’s “Rear Window” is trapped in a wheelchair, and we’re trapped, too–trapped inside his point of view, inside his lack of freedom and his limited options. When he passes his long days and nights by shamelessly maintaining a secret watch on his neighbors, we share his obsession. It’s wrong, we know,…

“Cinema Paradiso” reveals Giuseppe Tornatore at his most heartfelt, capturing cinema’s communal magic through a boy’s eyes in a Sicilian village before TV’s arrival. It mourns lost reels while celebrating dreams projected larger than life. There is a village priest who faithfully censors the local cinema’s films, ringing a bell at every kiss, leaving piles…

Luc Besson’s new film, “Léon,” the mood of the characters lingered within me, refusing to leave. It was a mood of isolation and longing, of quick desperate choices leading to fragile bonds, of solitude turned into mentorship. Yet at the same time there was an element of tender nostalgia, for lonely times that shouldn’t be…

After I saw Alfred Hitchcock’s new film, “Psycho,” the craft lingered within me, refusing to leave. It was the visceral thrill of pure film, not message or performance, but the raw arousal of cinema itself. Most films, even great ones, evaporate like mist once you’ve returned to the real world; they leave memories behind, but…

After I saw Martin Scorsese’s film, “GoodFellas,” the mood of the characters lingered within me, refusing to leave. It was a mood of guilt and regret, of quick stupid decisions leading to wasted lifetimes, of loyalty turned into betrayal. Yet at the same time there was an element of furtive nostalgia, for bad times that…

“What kind of town is this?” Wyatt Earp asks on his first night in Tombstone. “A man can’t get a shave without gettin’ his head blowed off.” He gets up out of the newfangled barber’s chair at the Bon Ton Tonsorial Parlor and climbs through the second-story window of a saloon, his face still half…

The story is yet another retelling of the love triangle of Camelot. It centers on Guinevere (Julia Ormond), Lady of Leonesse, whose lands are under attack from the evil Malagant (Ben Cross). She determines to marry King Arthur, whose Camelot is legend, for two reasons: Because she can love him, and because he can protect…

Power of Your Story: Sophie’s Fractured Identity Narrative Sometimes when you’ve read the novel, it gets in the way of the images on the screen. You keep remembering how you imagined things. That didn’t happen with me during “Sophie’s Choice”, because the movie is so perfectly cast and well-imagined that it just takes over and…

I’ve never met anyone like Forrest Gump in a movie before, and for that matter I’ve never seen a movie quite like “Forrest Gump.” Any attempt to describe him will risk making the movie seem more conventional than it is, but let me try. It’s a comedy, I guess. Or maybe a drama. Or a…

Sergio Leone’s The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (1966) scorches as a sun-baked epic in our greedy age, transforming three gunslingers’ Civil War odyssey into a humanist western revealing fortune beneath moral ambiguity. Through the lens of the Power of Your Story, this transcends spaghetti bullets—it’s a profound lesson in narratives whispered about treasure’s corrupting lure,…

Jane Campion’s The Piano (1993) emerges as a haunting melody in our voiceless struggles, transforming mute Scottish widow Ada McGrath and daughter’s arrival in 1850s New Zealand into a sensual humanist symphony revealing desire beneath colonial silence. Through the lens of the Power of Your Story, this transcends period romance—it’s a profound lesson in narratives whispered about…

Enrique Jarden’s The Mission (1986) flows as a haunting requiem in our conflicted age, transforming Jesuit priest Father Gabriel’s Amazon odyssey and slaver Rodrigo Mendoza’s transformation into a humanist epic revealing forgiveness beneath colonial violence. Through the lens of the Power of Your Story, this transcends historical drama—it’s a profound lesson in narratives whispered about guilt’s crushing…

Peter Jackson’s The Lord of the Rings trilogy (2001-2003), adapted from J.R.R. Tolkien’s legendarium, weaves Middle-earth’s grand symphony, transforming humble hobbit Frodo Baggins’ odyssey into a humanist epic that reveals fellowship’s endurance beneath encroaching doom. Through the lens of the Power of Your Story, this transcends mere fantasy spectacle—it’s a profound lesson in the narratives we whisper…

Aren’t you tired of life’s nonlinear collisions—where hitmen quote Ezekiel, boxers reclaim watches, and gimp secrets explode amid adrenaline rushes? Quentin Tarantino’s Pulp Fiction (1994) erupts as a pulp-propelled Molotov in our scripted existence, weaving three interlocking tales of Los Angeles lowlifes into a humanist mosaic revealing redemption beneath criminal mayhem. Through the lens of the Power…

Aren’t you tired of the mob mentality battles—where groupthink smothers truth and one dissenting whisper fights for air amid shouting conformity? Sidney Lumet’s 12 Angry Men (1957) arrives as a sweat-soaked crucible in our polarized age, transforming twelve jurors in a stifling New York jury room into a humanist drama revealing reasonable doubt beneath prejudiced snap judgments….

Aren’t you tired of the intricate cons we play on ourselves—believing we’re pawns when we might be kings of our own deception? Bryan Singer’s The Usual Suspects (1995) cuts through like a razor in our era of hidden agendas and fractured truths, transforming a police interrogation into a labyrinthine tale of five criminals ensnared by legend that…

Aren’t you tired of the silent wars within—battles where burned flesh hides beating hearts, and memory’s sands bury living truth? Anthony Minghella’s The English Patient (1996), from Michael Ondaatje’s novel, arrives as a desert elegy amid our fractured modern lives, weaving four scarred souls in a 1945 Italian villa into a tapestry revealing love’s endurance beneath ruin….

Aren’t you tired of the silent battles against conformity’s iron grip, yearning to unleash your true flavor amid judgmental stares? Lasse Hallström’s Chocolat (2000) arrives as a sun-warmed antidote to rigid lives, transforming a single mother and daughter’s arrival in a repressive French village into a humanist symphony of awakening that reveals hidden sweetness beneath routine’s crust….

The Age of Innocence: The Story You Tell Yourself About Forbidden Longing Peter de Kuster Aren’t you tired of fighting—especially the quiet, suffocating battles against society’s invisible chains? Martin Scorsese’s The Age of Innocence (1993) arrives as a timeless indictment in our era of hidden desires and social media facades, turning a Gilded Age odyssey through New…

Il Postino: The Story You Tell Yourself About Poetry’s Quiet Power Peter de Kuster Aren’t you tired of fighting—especially the quiet, heartfelt battles to find your voice amid obscurity? Michael Radford’s Il Postino (1994) arrives as a timeless ode in our era of digital noise and lost simplicity, turning a postman’s island odyssey into a deeply humanist…

Bicycle Thieves: The Story You Tell Yourself About Desperate Dignity Peter de Kuster Aren’t you tired of fighting—especially the quiet, grinding battles against poverty’s cruel thefts? Vittorio De Sica’s Bicycle Thieves (1948) arrives as a timeless cry in our era of economic precarity and eroded hope, turning a father-son odyssey through Rome into a deeply humanist tale…