Great movies are not just entertaining but motivate our spirits and catalyse our thinking to make ourselves and the world a better place. The narratives and characters of a positive movie remind us of what makes life worth living. As a local church preacher and theology teacher I often sought for just the right movie illustration to inspire a new perspective or to motivate loving and just behaviour.

Now as an Army chaplain I am searching for the best scenes that are suggestive of the virtues and values that recruits and soldiers need. I have reflected on movies as a teaching tool in The Cove article, 'ADF Values Training Transformation', and want to prepare movie-based lessons for each of our ADF values.

I am asking myself: what movies best foster character and well-being? What theories helpfully underlie their interpretation? And what is best practice for helping people understand and learn from them? These are questions that led me to Positive Psychology at the Movies.

The authors are movie-lovers who identify and exegete the movies that best inspire viewers to admire and emulate an inspiring character or theme. Ryan Niemiec is the Education Director of the VIA Institute on Character which uses a “positive psychology” lens to explore the latest science and practice of character strengths.

Danny Wedding is an Associate Dean at California School of Professional Psychology. They both champion positive psychology pioneered by Martin Segilman which focuses on what is best about humans and our strengths and virtues, in contrast to psychology’s usual pathological focus on human problems and diagnoses of ill health. It is an appreciative approach to character development and therapy which aims to foster optimal functioning and flourishing. A key tool they utilise is film.

The book is structured around virtues and character strengths that popular psychology identifies such as virtues of wisdom, courage, humanity, justice, temperance and transcendence, and underlying character strengths such as curiosity, creativity, love of learning, bravery, honesty, kindness, justice, teamwork, humility, gratitude, and appreciation of beauty and excellence.

They discuss a huge range of Western and international movies that embody the virtue or character strength, or in some cases show unhealthy aspects (when a virtue turns to a vice), all in cinematic form. They also provide relevant research on how to nurture the virtue or character strength, and homework exercises to take training outside the classroom, e.g., asking learners to confront those who tell racist or sexist jokes.

The most valuable contribution of the book is modelling attentiveness to the deeper positive psychological themes, narratives, and characters of movies. Hundreds of movies are mentioned and dozens are discussed in depth. I noted several to unpack in teaching ADF values:

• Service – Mother Teresa, The Notebook, Avatar, Amazing Grace, Forrest Gump.
• Courage – Blood Diamond, Hotel Rwanda, Amelia, Acts of Valor, Saving Private Ryan, Braveheart.
• Respect – Remember the Titans, Gandhi, Mighty Times: The Legacy of Rosa Parks, Lars and the Real Girl, Invictus.
• Integrity – A Few Good Men, Good Will Hunting, Courage Under Fire, Erin Brockovich.
• Excellence – Karate Kid, The Soloist, Apollo 13, Chariots of Fire, The Legend of Bagger Vance.

I have been asking learners at Army School of Transport and Defence Force School of Signals their favourite movies that illustrate ADF values. Their selections suggest other more recent releases that I want to engage with in character training:

• Service – Kokoda, Fury, The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, 300, Gallipoli, The Water Diviner, Sir! No Sir!
• Courage – Danger Close, Hacksaw Ridge, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, American Sniper, The Lighthorsemen.
• Respect – The Blind Side, Hacksaw Ridge, Fury, The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, Lincoln, Red Dog.
• Integrity – Redacted, Official Secrets, Full Metal Jacket
• Excellence – Sully, Hidden Figures, Unbroken, Kokoda, Paper Planes, 12 Strong, Law Abiding Citizen.

Positive Psychology at the Movies offers encyclopaedic coverage of how a huge range of movies embodies a wide set of character strengths, and principles of best practice in discussing and learning from them. It is an invaluable resource for teachers and instructors, chaplains and therapists, or anyone with an interest in viewing or studying movies and using them to foster character development.