Who said that changing your routine a little could be a way of opening your mind to new ideas? There are films which are a real lesson and every engineer (or aspiring engineer) should watch them! Take a look at the 12 on this list which we have compiled for you:

1. The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957)
 

The Bridge on the River Kwai tells how British prisoners of war built a railway bridge in Thailand, with very few resources during the Second World War. There were immense challenges, meaning that this film is a great lesson in planning, management and executing projects, mainly for civil engineers!

2. Pirates of Silicon Valley (1999)
 

The film shows the story of Bill Gates and Steve Jobs and the growth of their companies: Microsoft and Apple, in Silicon Valley since the start of the 1970s. The storyline provides important tips on entrepreneurialism, innovation, communication, business and, especially, computer engineering. IT fans can’t miss this one!

3. Lost on Mars (2015)
 

Lost on Mars tells the story of an astronaut who was believed to be dead on his space mission, survived, was alone and without any communication on a space station on Mars. The astronaut has to use his knowledge in various areas, as an engineer, biologist, chemist and physicist, among others, in order to survive and re-establish communication with his team members.  And at the end, he... Don’t worry, spoilers are banned on our blog. But watch the film, it is really cool!

4. The Imitation Game (2014)
 

The film tells the story of mathematician Alan Turing who, during the Second World War, received the mission of deciphering the Enigma, a code which the Germans used to secretly communicate with its troops and submarines. The mathematician, who has relationship difficulties, heads a team and is responsible for creating a machine to decode the secret message system in 18 hours! 

5. The Theory of Everything (2015)
 

The Theory of Everything tells the story of Stephen Hawking, one of the greatest astrophysicists who has ever lived! Although the film focuses more on his life, his illness and relationship with his wife, accompanying a little of his daily life and the story of discoveries by such an important scientist will make it worth watching every minute of this film!

6. Back To The Future (1985 – 1990)
 

A movie classic, the Back to the Future (1, 2 and 3) saga shows a scientist who creates a time machine in a car and travels through different times with teenager Marty McFly. They visit the past and the future (which was in 2015!) and shows an interesting perspective of what was expected in the 1980s for the coming years!

7. Apollo 13 (1995)
 

From: GIPHY

The film which popularized the famous phrase “Houston, we have a problem” narrates the true story of three astronauts who faced problems with the explosion of an oxygen tank on their spaceship and experience moments of tension when they try to return to earth. Concepts of engineering, physics, and teamwork in particular are inspiring topics for every engineer!

8. A Beautiful Mind (2002)
 

A Beautiful Mind tells the story of John Nash, a surprising and prominent 20th century mathematician who developed important theories. Despite his brilliance, Nash has to learn to live with a serious illness, schizophrenia, which means that his interpersonal relationship is full of problems. The film tells the mathematician’s story and, despite all his difficulties, he was a Nobel Prize winner during his career.

9. Hidden Figures (2017)

The film tells the story of black women who made history at NASA, working as mathematicians, programmers and engineers at a time marked by prejudice and sexism. Their strong characters show the determination which is often needed in order to stand out in the hostile and unfair environment in the south of the United States during the 1960s. Unmissable!

10. Not By Chance (2007)
 

The Brazilian representative on the list is possibly the only film to show the profession of a traffic engineer. The leading character, Ênio, controls the flow of cars in São Paulo and tries to control his emotional life with the same precision and accuracy, when everything changes on account of a traffic accident. It is worth watching to learn a little more about the complex game of regulating traffic in a large city. 

11. Good Will Hunting (1998)
 

Good Will Hunting tells the story of a problematic janitor at MIT, one of the largest universities in the world, who is revealed as having unparalleled intelligence, unravelling mathematical problems which are almost impossible, also for students on the campus. A film which shows that people can surprise you! 

12. The Man Who Knew The Infinity (2016)

Considered by the site Engenharia É as one of the unmissable films for every engineer, the Man who Knew Infinity tells the story of Rāmānujan, a self-taught Indian mathematical genius who contributed to various areas, such as the number theory, infinite series and much more! The film sees the mathematician through the eyes of someone who is passionate about the subject and promises to please every exact science enthusiast!