The Movies That Make Sense of America Right Now

To capture the spirit of the United States on its 250th birthday, we’re asking some of the country’s most noted filmmakers and fans—actors, directors, producers, executives, and more—to tell us about the pictures they feel reflect this moment on the big screen.
For TIME film critic Stephanie Zacharek, for example, it was 2003’s Masked and Anonymous, in which Bob Dylan plays the troubadour Jack Fate: “Fate seems like America’s last hope, not because he’s a savior figure, but because he’s still invested in the idea of being free—not the ‘personal freedoms’ that selfish modern people think they’re entitled to, but something deeper and richer, something that comes with a responsibility to your fellow human beings and the earth around you,” she says. “Jack Fate is America’s past and its future rolled into one: He’s a sonnet, a vibe, a vessel of crackpot optimism. He’s our best day following our worst, because that’s what we’re built to hope for.”
The 25 responses below include movies old and new, documentaries and blockbusters and quiet indie triumphs. Together, they demonstrate that movies aren’t just one of America’s most important cultural exports, but also a lens through which the country can be seen in living color.