If you tend to think that movies are "just entertainment," escapist fare designed to take you away from your troubles and paint a rosy picture of the world, 2015's films have proven you wrong. It has been an extraordinary year for social issue movies — both feature films and documentaries. Some of them will make you cry; many will edify; and a lot will make your blood boil.

We suspect that the filmmakers who have created these powerful works of art hope that they will compel citizens around the world to take positive steps — no matter how small. As we allow films to inspire us, they become transformational.

Here are 57 movies we've covered this year at S&P, organized by thematic areas. Click on the titles to read the full review. Among the selections you will find:

  • a condemnation of drone warfare
  • the story of a young girl who becomes a peacemaker
  • the triumph of a union in a deli in New York
  • the dire effect of the global market in poor countries
  • a hard-hitting morality play about foreclosures
  • a look at sexual trafficking and the violation of women's human rights
  • an expose of sexual abuse by Catholic priests
  • a study of the sad state of investigative journalism
  • a stirring look at two Christian gun control activists
  • two sad stories of the plight of immigrants — one from Senegal, Africa and the other from Burkina Faso
  • the legacy of a young gay man who was brutally murdered
  • a depiction of the virulence of racial hatred in a small New York community
  • an expose of the chauvinism and patriarchy that underlies violence against women
  • and more . . .

Anti-War

  • Beasts of No Nation is a powerful cry from the heart set in Africa to respect the rights of young boys and end their enslavement in war..
  • The Look of Silence revolves around a young Indonesian optician's quest to learn who killed his older brother and why during a purge of some one-million Communists in the country. This documentary reveals the dark violence in human beings.
  • Testament of Youth is a poignant antiwar story told from the perspective of a young woman who becomes a peacemaker.

Drone Warfare

  • Good Kill revolves around a U.S. Air Force Major who flies drones from a hut near Las Vegas and finds himself unable to stomach the expansion of the killing fields in this detached brand of warfare.

Economic Justice

  • The Hand That Feeds is a timely and important documentary on the fight for a minimum wage and a union by employees of a 24-hour deli in Manhattan. This victory signals the possibility of a new worker's movement.
  • 99 Homes is a hard-hitting morality play about foreclosures, the pursuit of wealth, and the courage it takes to do the right thing. It reveals reasons why economic injustice is so rampant in the United States — it is a class war.
  • The Second Mother comes across as a splendid and engaging morality play about class warfare and the challenges and disappointments of parenting.
  • We Come as Friends is a riveting documentary that will bring your blood to a boil when you see how Africans are being exploited once again by modern-day colonialists.

Environmental Concerns

  • Bikes vs Cars is a documentary that presents reports from cities around the world about the need for bikes and the challenges faced by bikers as the car culture continues to gain new supporters.
  • The Human Experiment is a harrowing look at the chemical industry which is making many unsafe products. Since the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is doing little to protect the public from these toxins, activists are speaking out.
  • The Messenger is a Canadian documentary about songbirds as another species at risk. The film-makers show the human complicity in the declining numbers of these beauties.

Ethics

  • The Big Short comes across as a very unpretty picture of the finance players who reside high above the streets in skyscrapers insulated from the harm their greed and muck-ups have brought into the lives of common people. Here is a snapshot of a few wheeler-dealers who made big money off the 2008 financial crisis.
  • Ex-Machina is a four-character sci-fi drama that wants us to ponder the possibilities of what our world would be like with robots who can think and feel for themselves.
  • The Experimenter is a thought-provoking film about obedience to authority figures. It recreates the famous experiment by Yale social psychologist Stanley Milgram.
  • The Farewell Party contains many worthwhile points about retirement home residents, hospital staff, ethical stands, and the complex moral and legal questions clustered around euthanasia.
  • James White reveals grief as a bearer of light and love. We see how it can even serve as an ethical catalyst to resurrection for those who yearn to turn their lives around.
  • Me and Earl and the Dying Girl delivers an astonishing dramedy about life, death, and the mysteries that imbue them both. Its ethical dimension lies in the way it enables us to appreciate the gifts we pass on to others in our deaths.
  • Spotlight is a chilling and ethically cogent film about the Boston Globe's Pulitzer Prize-winning expose of sexual abuse by Catholic clergy that revealed the breadth and depth of these horrific crimes against society's most vulnerable members — children. The filmhits the mark with its searing depiction of the Catholic Church's efforts to shield priests and do whatever necessary to maintain its power and wealth. The film also shows the shocking lack of human feeling for the victims.
  • Trumbo is an ethically stirring biopicture about the courageous Hollywood screenplay writer who triumphed over the Red Scare crusaders of the 1950s. It depicts fear and paranoia as destructive cultural forces.
  • Truth is a tense and poignant film about the burn-and-crash of a journalist's illustrious career, a stomach-churning portrait of the dirty tactics of political hit men, and a study of the sad state of investigative journalism in times when even the news is shaped by commercial interests.

Gun Violence

  • The Armor of Light is a conscience stirring documentary about two Christians and their crusade for gun control. One is an evangelical minister and the other a woman who was drawn into a life of activism following the gun murder of her 17-year-old son Jordan in 2012 by a man who claimed that he was just complying with the "Stand Your Ground" law.
  • Gunned Down: The Power of the NRA shows how this organization has grown in power and wealth to become the most influential lobby in the United States. Its members view their right to have any kind or amount of guns as an essential liberty protecting them from Big Government. Fear animates large local turnouts and contributions whenever their cause is put in harm's way.

Human Trafficking

  • The Storm Makers is a scary expose on the modern slave trade that is destroying the lives of poor and illiterate girls from Cambodia. This documentary depicts what it is like to live in poverty, fear, and despair.

Immigration

  • Brooklyn is a heart-affecting love story of an Irish immigrant who comes to America for a new life and then returns home to take care of her aging mother. She must choose which place speaks most clearly to her soul.
  • Mediterranea tells the sad story about the struggles of two brothers from Burkina Faso who journey to Italy in hopes of finding a better life. A race riot reveals the hatred many Italians have for refugees in their country.
  • Samba is a French dramedy about a Senegalese immigrant living in France. He endures a series of terrible jobs, poverty, the multiple identities he must assume, and the fear about his future.

LGBT Equality

  • Carol is a mesmerizing drama about a lesbian love affair between a middle-aged woman of means who is unhappily married and a beautiful young woman seeking to find her passion in life. Each must consider whether their affair of the heart is a passing adventure or the real thing.
  • Matt Shepard Is a Friend of Mine is a heartfelt documentary a brutal murder and the legacy of a promising young gay man. The trial of the two assailants brought out the rampant homophobia in the West and across America.
  • Summer is a touching portrait of a shy 16-year-old whose life is transformed by her encounter with a gay outsider. This Dutch film opens our eyes to the erotic surge that draws sheltered individuals to free spirits with vagabond hearts.

Mental and Other Disabilities

  • Anomalisa presents a vivid and creative view of the harm, loneliness, and pain brought into the world by mental illness. This spot-motion animated film is a truly out-of-the-box experience..
  • Marie's Story takes place at the end of the 19th century, when a baby born in rural France to a humble artisan and his wife is discovered to be blind, deaf, and dumb. A caring and compassionate nun works with Marie, hoping to break down the walls and have her communicate with others.
  • Pawn Sacrifice takes us on a journey through the life and times of Bobby Fischer, child chess prodigy who yearns to be the best player in the world. The film is a call to speak out against the neglect of those with untreated mental illness.

Money in Politics

  • Democrats is a hard-hitting documentary on the complexities of creating a workable democracy in Africa. The efforts to make progress on this ideal in Zimbabwe are hobbled by the power plays, money, and corruption of Robert Mugube who took over county years ago.
  • The Runner charts the flaws of a Louisiana congressman who is trying for his constituents while getting set to run for the Senate. However his efforts are dogged by his libido and the moneyed powers who want him to be their man.

Poverty

  • The Letters offers a tender and touching glimpse of the life and spiritual work of Mother Teresa who viewed herself as an instrument of God's love. Most of her service was of the poor who lived and often died on the streets of India's crowded cities.
  • Noble depicts the compassionate work of Christina Noble whose heart was opened to the homeless and unloved children living on the streets of Viet Nam. Her empathy in action led to the creation of orphanage for these poverty-stricken youth.
  • Tashi and the Monk is a tribute to this Tibetan Buddhist who runs a sanctuary and school for 85 orphaned and neglected children. His spiritual vision enables him and those in his care to "serve as a shelter for each other."

Racial & Religious Dignity

  • A Borrowed Identity centers around a Palestinian boy who wins a scholarship to a prestigious Israeli boarding school. There he is forced to deal with his Arab and Israeli identity as he carries on a relationship with an Israeli girl and is befriended by a Jewish boy with muscular dystrophy.
  • Bridge of Spies portrays the heroism of a gifted American lawyer who defended Soviet spy Rudolf Abel in a 1957 espionage trial and then went on to even further miraculous acts in negotiations to save the lives of two U.S. prisoners of war. His belief in treating everyone with respect shines through in this fascinating drama.
  • Jimmy's Hallis a stirring morality play about creating community, leading others, and having respect for one's enemies. Jimmy hits the mark as a person who wins our admiration because he puts the welfare of individuals and the community above his own needs and wants.
  • Mi America offers a harrowing portrait of the virulence of racial hatred in a small New York community. The film challenges us to empathize with all victims of hate crimes.
  • Stations of the Cross is an intense German film about a conservative Catholic priest and a 14-year-old girl who turns into a religious zealot. This drama compels us to think more clearly and feel more deeply about life, death, fear, and faith.

Repairing the World

  • Inside Out is an animated classic that helps us to appreciate, understand and re-frame our emotions of Joy, anger, fear, disgust, and sadness. The repair of the world, depends in part, on the spiritual uses of all our emotions.
  • Tomorrowland is a thoughtful sci-fi drama set in the future where the end of the world is being predicted. Three brave souls set out to out things right relying on imagination as the spiritual source that can save civilization.
  • Where to Invade Next is an immensely creative and daring documentary meant to revive the American dream. It is meant to open our minds and hearts to European nations which have developed ideas, behaviors, policies and practices that could prove beneficial to our citizens.

War on Drugs

  • Sicario is a report on the war against drugs by an idealistic FBI agent who is assigned to a raid in Mexico on the headquarters of drug lord. She is deeply troubled by the unlawful actions and procedures of her superiors who are willing to condone torture and random killings in order to accomplish their mission.

Women and Girls

  • Clouds of Sils Maria deals in a nuanced and sensitive way with three women as they work with each other, assess each other, and struggle with their own demons. The mysteries surrounding these three women is metaphorically conveyed in a meteorological event which sends clouds streaming through a valley.
  • Difret is the true story of a landmark case about abduction for marriage in Ethiopia that stands up for the dignity and rights of women everywhere. The film challenges us to do what we can to end the subjugation of women and girls around the world.
  • Far From the Madding Crowd revolves around the spiritual journey of a spunky, strong-willed, and impulsive young woman who sees herself as an independent soul. Her yearning for a life of passion and meaning makes her such an extraordinary person.
  • Flowers is a Spanish film that vividly and sensuously conveys the vulnerability and fragility of our lives and the healing that comes when we make others feel special. Watch this drama slowly blossom in your consciousness and soul.
  • He Named Me Malala is an edifying documentary about a Pakistani teenager who is the youngest person ever to receive the Nobel Peace Prize. Millions of girls have been emboldened by Mala's love, loss, and courage to stand up and speak out for women's rights.
  • The Hunting Ground is a hard-hitting documentary on the treatment of women who have been sexually assaulted on U.S. college campuses; 16 – 20% of female students are victims of this violence, and in nearly all cases, university officials, eager to protect the school's reputation, do nothing in response.
  • India's Daughter is a searing documentary about the chauvinism and patriarchy which under girds one rape of a woman every 20 minutes in India. The film revolves around the brutal rape and murder of a 23 year-old medical student in 2012 in Delhi, India.
  • Mistress America is a comedy about two stepsisters finding ways to support each other during a period of transition in both their lives. Both women are striving to follow their own spirit no matter what the circumstances.
  • Mustang is an astonishing Turkish drama about the oppression of five spirited young women whose sexuality frightens the Muslim elders in the community. In the process, these vibrant sisters are treated as evil-doers when all they are doing is expressing their quest for freedom.
  • Suffragette is an engrossing film about the transformation of a working-class mom into a radical feminist in 1912 England. It is the first movie to deal with the efforts by women to gain the right to vote. It demands to be taken seriously, and we recommend it highly.