Now You See Me, Now You Don’t – The Power of Illusion and Identity Now You See Me, Now You Don’t is, at first glance, a film about illusionists — master tricksters who turn deception into art. But beneath the shimmer of spectacle and adrenaline lies something far deeper: a meditation on how we reinvent ourselves…
The Power of Your Story in “Wake Up Dead Man”
Wake Up Dead Man – The Power of Reinvention Wake Up Dead Man, the newest chapter in Rian Johnson’s Knives Out universe, invites us into a story that dances between death and revelation, cynicism and grace. Beneath its sharp wit and tangled mystery lies a quiet meditation on what happens when the story you’ve been telling yourself…
The Power of Your Story: Formule 1
Formula 1 – The Power of Speed and Silence The film Formula 1, starring Brad Pitt as an aging driver chasing one last heartbeat of the engine, is far more than a story about racing. It unfolds as a meditation on identity, ambition, and the search for meaning in a world where speed can liberate or…
The Power of Your Story in ‘Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery’
Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery as a tonal benchmarkIf people thought Glass Onion was a bit too jaunty after the breakout success of Knives Out, Rian Johnson’s third film in what has become a true franchise, Glass Onion’s successor stance is closer to a measured correction than a sequel’s vanity project. It’s a film…
The Power of Your Story in ‘The Beast in Me’
The Beast in Me: A Journey Through Darkness Toward the LightIn the modern landscape of storytelling, few series dare to hold a mirror to our most feral instincts while inviting us to see beauty in the fracture. The Beast in Me, a 2025 mini-series directed by Alina Varga and streaming on Apple TV+, belongs to this…
The Power of Your Story in ‘Traindreams’
Traindreams (2025): A Journey Through Memory, Loss, and the American Soul There are films that tell stories, and then there are films that drift like recollections—fragmented, luminous, half-remembered. Traindreams, adapted from Denis Johnson’s spare and haunting novella, belongs to the latter kind. Directed by Chloé Zhao, whose meditative gaze captures both the beauty and loneliness of…
The Power of Your Story in ‘Downtown Abbey the Grand Finale’
Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale is a tender and richly detailed farewell to the Crawley family saga, unfolding in the early 1930s amid shifting social tides and deeply human struggles. The film revisits familiar characters and themes while introducing new narrative threads that bring fresh emotional complexities and challenges, weaving a story both intimate and…
The Power of Your Story in ‘Dix pour cent’
The Netflix series Dix pour cent (also known as Call My Agent!) is a compelling exploration of the intertwining narratives of ambition, identity, and resilience in the demanding world of celebrity talent agencies. Here is a story inspired by the theme of “The Power of Your Story” — the story you tell yourself about yourself and then to…
The Power of Your Story in ‘The Abandons’
The Netflix series The Abandons explores themes of mystery, trauma, and the human struggle to reclaim identity in the face of loss and abandonment. Here is a story inspired by the theme of “The Power of Your Story” — the story you tell yourself about yourself and then to others — through the lens of The Abandons: In…
The Power of Your Story in ‘Dark Winds’
Dark Winds is a captivating series that delves into themes of identity, resilience, and the power of the stories we carry within ourselves and project outward. Here is a story from the perspective of the essence of the Power of Your Story as you requested: In the vast expanse of the American Southwest, amid the…
The Power of Your Story
Your story is your life. As human beings, we continually tell ourselves stories — of success or failure; of power or victimhood; stories that endure for an hour, or a day, or an entire lifetime. We have stories about our work, our families and relationships, our health; about what we want and what we’re capable…
The Power of Your Story in ‘One Battle After Another’
The film “One Battle after Anotheer” unfolds as a profound narrative of endurance, resilience, and the ongoing courage to begin again—much like the stories I explore in “The Power of Your Story.” It opens a window onto the raw, relentless journey of revolutionaries and survivors whose lives pulse with the urgency of survival, the scars…
The Power of Your Story in ‘After the Hunt’
After the Hunt” is a psychological thriller set in the intellectual and politically charged environment of Yale University, where Alma Imhoff, a philosophy professor, finds herself entangled in a web of accusation, loyalty, and moral complexity. The story begins simply: a talented PhD student, Maggie, accuses Hank, a beloved professor and Alma’s close colleague, of…
The Power of your story in ‘Monster: The Ed Gein story’
Monster: The Ed Gein Story is not merely about one man and his atrocities; it is about the deepest corners of the human need to make sense of monstrosity. The series retells the story of Ed Gein — the quiet Wisconsin farmer whose crimes in the 1950s shocked an America that prided itself on decency and…
The Power of your Story in ‘The Woman in Cabin 10’
There is something profoundly unsettling and yet freeing about stories that peel back the layers of fear, perception, and identity. The Woman in Cabin 10, a film adaptation of Ruth Ware’s novel, is precisely such a story — a thriller that disguises itself as entertainment while secretly shouting to the human spirit: Wake up. Look closer. You’ve…
Online Seminar: The Seven Stories of Your Life in Great Movies
This remarkable and monumental seminar of Peter de Kuster at last provides a comprehensive answer to the age-old riddle of whether there are only a small number of ‘basic stories’ in the world. Using a wealth of examples, from ancient myths and folk tales via the plays and novels of great literature to the popular…
The Power of Your Story in ‘The French Lover’
The French Lover is more than a glossy romantic comedy set against the backdrop of Paris’s café-lined streets. It is an intimate exploration of love, fame, personal reinvention, and the complexities of human connection in a world where public image often conflicts with private truth. Directed by Nina Rives and starring Omar Sy as Abel Camara…
The Power of Your Story in ‘The House of Guinness”
The House of Guinness: Brewing Your Legacy Amidst Life’s Storms The gripping saga of the House of Guinness unfolds against a backdrop of family drama, political unrest, and haunting secrets. Following the death of Sir Benjamin Guinness in 1868, his four children—Arthur, Edward, Anne, and Benjamin—stand at the crossroads of legacy and destiny. Inheriting a…
Online Seminar: Awakening the Storyteller Within
“The heroic quest is about saying ‘yes’ to yourself and in so doing, becoming more fully alive and more effective in the world…The quest is replete with dangers and pitfalls, but it offers great rewards: the capacity to be successful in the world, knowledge of the mysteries of the human soul, and the opportunity to…
The Power of Your Story in ‘Mission Impossible – The Final Reckoning
The movie opens two months after Ethan Hunt and his team retrieve the source code key for a malevolent artificial intelligence known only as “the Entity.” U.S. President Erika Sloane contacts Ethan, warning him that the Entity continues to seize control of global nuclear weapons systems with the help of undercover doomsday cultists. Despite orders…
The Power of Your Story in ‘The Salt Path’
“The Salt Path” is a moving British drama based on the memoir by Raynor Winn, starring Gillian Anderson and Jason Isaacs as Raynor and Moth. Facing eviction from their cherished farm after a failed investment, and reeling from Moth’s diagnosis with a rare, degenerative neurological disease, the couple are pushed to the very edge—financially, emotionally,…
Online Seminar. Master Your Story in 36 Dramatic Situations
At its core, storytelling is how humans make sense of the world, our experiences, and ourselves. Every individual carries an internal narrative — a self-story — that influences identity, emotions, decisions, and actions. Tapping into this story can spark profound transformation by helping you reshape your narratives toward empowerment and clarity. Master Your Story: The…
The Power of Your Story in ‘Task’
In the working-class suburbs of Philadelphia, “Task” unfolds as a nuanced crime drama following two men on opposite sides of the law: weary FBI agent Tom Brandis and rugged robber Robbie Prendergrast. Tom, tasked with forming a special unit to stop a string of violent robberies, leads an ensemble of novice agents through the alleys…
The Power of Your Story in ‘Black Rabbit’
Set against the high-pressure nightlife of New York City, “Black Rabbit” is a riveting drama revolving around two brothers, Jake and Vince Friedken, who find themselves entangled in escalating dangers after reuniting. Jake has turned Black Rabbit, formerly a rock band name, into one of the city’s hottest restaurants. He appears successful, but beneath this…
The Power of Your Story in ’28 Years Later’
28 Years Later — The Power of Your Story Nearly three decades after the original 28 Days Later redefined the post-apocalyptic horror genre, 28 Years Later emerges as not just a direct sequel but a haunting exploration of time, memory, survival, and the enduring human spirit. Directed again by Danny Boyle and written by Alex Garland, this film operates…
The Power of Your Story in ‘Materialists’
Introduction: “Materialists” and the Lure of Status—Why Storytelling is the Real Wealth In Celine Song’s “Materialists” (2025), we don’t just watch a love story unfold—we witness the power and peril of the stories that govern how we live, love, and lead. The film’s whip-smart, emotionally layered portrait of contemporary New York dating, calibrated by algorithms…
The Power of Your Story in ‘Untamed’
Introduction: Mystery, Trauma, and the Power of Story in Untamed Netflix’s “Untamed” (2025) is a gripping crime drama and psychological thriller set in the vast, remote wilderness of Yosemite National Park. With Eric Bana as Special Agent Kyle Turner and Lily Santiago as rookie cop Naya Vasquez, the story explores the investigation of a brutal…
The Power of Your Story in ‘Souleymane’s story’
Introduction: Living on the Edge—Why Souleymane’s Story Speaks to Creative Leaders “Souleymane’s Story,” directed by Boris Lojkine and starring Abou Sangaré, is a compelling, unvarnished portrait of a Guinean refugee in Paris navigating the brutal landscape of survival, hope, and truth in arrival and asylum. This intense, kinetic film captures not only the urgency of…
The Power of Your Story in ‘The Thursday Murder Club’
Introduction: Cozy Crimes, Big Themes—Why This Whodunit Matters for Creative Leaders Chris Columbus’s “The Thursday Murder Club” (2025) isn’t just a charming, star-studded whodunit set in a bucolic English retirement village—it’s a masterclass in the art of storytelling, reinvention, and legacy. As Helen Mirren, Pierce Brosnan, Ben Kingsley, and Celia Imrie bring to life a…
The Power of Your Story in ‘The Graduate’
Introduction: Between Expectation and Escape The Graduate stands as a landmark film capturing the uncertain liminal space every young adult faces—the time after school but before life’s real shape takes hold. At its center is Benjamin Braddock, a fresh college graduate trapped in the stifling expectations of his affluent suburban world. Seduced by the older, enigmatic…
The Power of Your Story in ‘The Pursuit of Happyness’
Introduction: The Relentless Quest for a Better Tomorrow The Pursuit of Happyness tells a powerful true story of grit, sacrifice, and unwavering hope. Centered on Chris Gardner, a struggling salesman and devoted father in early 1980s San Francisco, the film chronicles the intense hardships he faces as he fights poverty, homelessness, and overwhelming odds to secure…
The Power of Your Story in ‘Mystic River’
Introduction: Confronting the Shadows Beneath Our Past Mystic River is a gripping and haunting exploration of friendship, trauma, and justice set in an Irish-American neighborhood of Boston. Directed by Clint Eastwood, the story follows three men whose lives were forever changed by a violent childhood event. Decades later, the brutal murder of a teenage girl reconnects…
The Power of Your Story in ‘Forrest Gump’
Introduction: The Journey of an Unlikely Hero Forrest Gump is a sweeping tale of innocence, endurance, and unexpected impact set against the backdrop of America’s turbulent mid-20th century. At its heart is Forrest Gump, an unassuming man whose simplicity, kindness, and determination carry him through moments of both profound hardship and historical significance. For creative leaders…
The Power of Your Story in ‘Jerry McGuire’
Introduction: From Fast Talk to True Connection Jerry Maguire is more than a sports drama—it’s a vibrant story of transformation, integrity, and the search for meaning beyond success. At its core is Jerry Maguire, a high-flying sports agent at the peak of his career who suddenly questions the ruthless, profit-driven world around him. After writing a…
The Power of Your Story in ‘Gladiator’
Introduction: The Warrior’s Path to Legend Gladiator is an epic saga of honor, loss, and redemption set against the grandeur and brutality of Ancient Rome. At its heart is Maximus Decimus Meridius—a revered general whose world shatters through betrayal and tragedy. From the ashes of loss, he is forced into slavery and the gladiatorial arena, where…
The Power of Your Story in ‘Dead Poets Society’
Introduction: Awakening the Poet Within Dead Poets Society is a timeless tale that captures the clash between tradition and individuality, conformity and creativity, fear and courage. Set at the conservative Welton Academy in 1959, the film introduces us to a group of young men whose lives are tightly scripted by family expectations and institutional rules. Into…
The Power of Your Story in ‘Cast Away’
Introduction: The Shore Between Worlds What if your story could only begin after everything you know is washed away? Cast Away is far more than a tale about survival on a tropical island—it is a mythic story of transformation, creative rebirth, and the forging of meaning in absolute solitude. Here, the world vanishes; what remains is the…
The Power of Your Story in ‘A Star is Born’
By Peter de Kuster Introduction: The Dual Roads of Glory and Despair A Star Is Born is much more than a simple love story. It is an intricate dance between rising talent and fading glory, hope and addiction, creation and destruction. The 2018 version, directed by and starring Bradley Cooper alongside Lady Gaga, explores the intertwined…
The Power of Your Story in ‘A Theory of Everything’
By Peter de Kuster Introduction: When the Mind Seeks Infinity, the Heart Discovers What Matters The Theory of Everything is the remarkable cinematic journey of Stephen Hawking—a mind that dared to unravel the cosmos despite a body failing him. But this story is as much about human love, sacrifice, and resilience as it is about physics….
The Power of Your Story in ‘Atonement’
By Peter de Kuster Introduction: Truth, Guilt, and the Power of Our Stories “Atonement,” directed by Joe Wright and based on Ian McEwan’s novel, is a heart-wrenching epic that asks: What happens when a single misunderstanding unravels lives, love, even the possibility of redemption? At its core, this film is not only a meditation on…
The Power of Your Story in ‘Beat the Devil’
Introduction: When Life Feels Like a Gamble, You Are the Storyteller of Your Own Fate “Beat the Devil,” the 1953 cult classic directed by John Huston and starring Humphrey Bogart, is no ordinary adventure. It is a witty, sharp-edged spoof of the thriller genre, a film that dances between absurdity and cunning, revealing how human…
The Power of Your Story in ‘Wilhelm Tell’
Introduction: You Are the Storyteller of Your Life Standing at the edge of dark waters, the legend of Wilhelm Tell asks us: Will you step forward when fate calls, or watch as the world writes your destiny? The 2024 film adaptation of “William Tell” is not just a cinematic retelling of a Swiss folk hero—it’s…
The Power of Your Story in ‘Black Bag’
Black Bag: The Hero’s Journey of Trust, Betrayal, and Identity The Call to Adventure: The Clock Ticks Within the high-stakes world of Black Bag, George stands at the precipice of disaster. With just a week to uncover a traitor in his intelligence organization, the fate of tens of thousands hangs in the balance. The suspects? His…
The Power of Your Story in ‘The Sicilian Clan’
The Call to Adventure: A World of Shadows and Legends In the world of The Sicilian Clan, the call to adventure is not a trumpet blast, but the cold click of a cell door and the whispered promise of freedom. Roger Sartet, a daring and volatile thief, is sprung from prison by the enigmatic Mafia patriarch…
The Power of Your Story in ‘The 25th Hour’
The Call to Adventure: The End as a Beginning Monty Brogan stands at the edge of his life as he knows it. Tomorrow, he will surrender his freedom and begin a prison sentence. His friends, Jacob and Frank, look out over the river and murmur, “it’s over.” But is it? Or is this, in truth,…
The Power of Your Story in ‘Manhunt’
Introduction: Stepping Into the Chase What if the greatest stories ever told weren’t just about the past, but also about you? The Apple TV+ series Manhunt brings the drama of Abraham Lincoln’s assassination and the 12-day pursuit of his killer, John Wilkes Booth, to vivid life. But beneath the surface of this gripping historical thriller lies a…
The Power of Your Story in ‘Department Q’
By Peter de Kuster Introduction: Entering the Shadows – The Call of the Unsolved There are stories that begin with a bang—explosions of action, declarations of love, or the arrival of a hero in shining armor. But some stories begin quietly, almost unnoticed, in the shadows. They begin with a whisper, a question, or a…
The Power of Your Story in ‘The Secrets We Keep’
Introduction: The Disappearance That Shatters an Illusion In the affluent, manicured suburbs north of Copenhagen, the lives of Denmark’s elite appear effortless and serene. Behind the glass facades and lakeside villas, however, lies a web of secrets, privilege, and complicity. Secrets We Keep—a six-episode Danish Nordic-noir thriller—peels back the layers of this world, exposing the darkness…
The Power of Your Story in ‘the Accountant 2’
By Peter de Kuster In every life, there is a ledger—of choices, regrets, secrets, and hopes. The Accountant 2 is not just an action thriller about Christian Wolff’s quest to solve a murder; it is a profound meditation on the stories we inherit, the ones we try to escape, and the courage it takes to become the…
The Power of Your Story in ‘Straw’
By Peter de Kuster Every so often, a film emerges that doesn’t just tell a story—it holds up a mirror to our own struggles, our breaking points, and our capacity for transformation. Tyler Perry’s Straw (2025), starring Taraji P. Henson as Janiyah Wiltkinson, is such a film. It is a raw, unflinching exploration of a woman’s descent…
The Power of Your Story 