Ethics and Cinema

Stories and movies are probably the best way to visualize the complexity of real-life situations, with all their ethical and non-ethical implications. They are enhanced versions of the same case studies we discuss in Applied Ethics classes or in ethics committees. They talk about facts and contexts, decisions and actions, customs and human character with the help of metaphors and visual effects, lights and shadows, dialogues and movement.

Below this text, you will find a list of movies and TV series that deal with ethical issues or contain significant elements that are relevant to students of Moral Philosophy or Applied Ethics. We have prepared this list hoping it will help those interested in developing a sound moral reflection. It is not comprehensive, but we intend to keep up with the international movie production industry and introduce new recommendations as soon as we get the chance to review the new titles. Consequently, all our references involve productions that have already been released to the general public. Forthcoming movies or TV series are no subject to this section. If you have a suggestion for us concerning this list, do not hesitate to send us an e-mail.

Most of the information we provide herein comes from IMDB. We do not claim any authorship to the movie/TV series details or plot summaries/storylines. Regarding the trailers, we have tried to make use of the producer’s YouTube channel whenever we could identify it. When this was not available, we uploaded the trailer on our YouTube channel. This is not a copyright infringement and, if any copyright owner wants us to take down a trailer, we can response to his/her request immediately. We are not into selling or distributing (legally or otherwise) movies, but in helping people develop an ethical awareness and sound moral judgment.