“The most influential”: The movies Billie Eilish has seen a thousand times
Before Billie Eilish and her brother Finneas were world-class superstars, they were kids like anyone else. With a love for music and film pulsating through their bones, they immersed their minds in imaginary worlds, one day dreaming of moving audiences around the world as much as they had been moved by the sounds and stories they idolised.
Then, with nothing more than an instinctual knack for musical rhythms and melodies and a promise to one day be the biggest star on the planet, Billie and Finneas worked together to establish new ground, guided by the feelings of contemporary youth. Finneas’ intuition and know-how supported his sister, not only bolstering her to international stardom but also helping her become the voice of a generation.
However, her rise in an era of social media also meant that she has been observed meticulously from the moment she entered the scene, with countless fans and critics simultaneously praising her talent while tearing it down, making someone already susceptible to mental health struggles fall even deeper into the pits of anxiety and depression.
Eilish has always been forthcoming about her psychological challenges, especially considering how young she was when her fame skyrocketed. However, many of her difficulties have also stemmed from the immense pressure and scrutiny of being a woman in the spotlight. After all, not only does Eilish have to constantly fight to maintain relevance, but she also has to continuously reinvent herself, which can be exhausting.
However, just like when she was a kid, Eilish has always sought comfort in her favourite music and movies, enjoying the brief escapism before facing reality again. Over the years, Eilish has revealed what some of her all-time favourite movies are, but during a special video recording for Letterboxd, she listed every single one she revisits time and time again: The Babadook, We Need To Talk About Kevin, I Origins, and Drive.
“Those are the ones that I have been talking about for years that I’ve seen a thousand times,” the singer said. “I always forget that I’ve seen other movies—I’ve seen other movies since then. [But these] have been the most influential to me.”
Discussing I Origins, in particular, she said: “The second half of that movie is like—I love a good plot twist. I love a plot; I love when there’s a plot, [but] I’m also really bad at understanding plots, that’s one of my things.”
Eilish has discussed her appreciation for the Mike Cahill sci-fi on several occasions, including an interview in December 2021, in which she said, “I recently saw a movie called I Origins which was so, so good. I had no idea what it was, and Finneas showed it to me, randomly, in the airport, and it was amazing.” Of course, Eilish also has a fond, deep-seated love for the 2013 drama Fruitvale Station, demonstrating her appreciation for hard-hitting and relatable messages rooted in true stories or everyday ponderings.
