Away from the lab
Films, books, and music that have stayed with me.
We have dreams for humanity.
There are many films I have watched, but a few have resonated with me more deeply and stayed long after the credits. The same is true of books and music: some works remain with us and quietly shape how we see the world.
The Prestige fascinates me because it explores the thin line between dedication and obsession. It is a story about ambition, sacrifice, rivalry, and the cost of pursuing mastery at any price. What stayed with me most is the question it leaves behind: when does commitment to excellence stop being admirable and start consuming the person who seeks it?
Rocky has always meant much more to me than a boxing film. What stayed with me most is its philosophy of resilience: life is not about avoiding every setback, but about how much you can endure, keep moving forward, and refuse to give up on what matters to you. That idea has stayed with me far beyond the film itself.
Hacksaw Ridge presents courage in a very different way. Courage does not always mean being the loudest person in the room or displaying strength outwardly. Sometimes it means standing by your principles even when doing so brings criticism, pressure, or misunderstanding. Desmond Doss embodies that kind of courage: remaining faithful to what he believed was right while risking his own life to save others. To me, the film is ultimately about conviction, compassion, and the strength to live according to your principles despite the reactions of those around you.
Road to Perdition stayed with me not only as a story about a father and a son, but also as a reflection on how the choices of one generation can become the burden of the next. I think the film can be read more broadly in that way: societies, too, pass on the consequences of their actions, conflicts, and mistakes. What one generation normalizes or leaves unresolved can shape the lives of people who had no part in creating it.
Moneyball is a film I value for its perspective on challenging convention. It shows that progress often begins by questioning assumptions that everyone else takes for granted, trusting evidence over intuition, and finding better ways to work within constraints. What I like most is the idea that having fewer resources does not necessarily mean having fewer possibilities—sometimes it simply forces you to think differently.
How to Train Your Dragon has stayed with me since childhood, so it has always meant more to me than an animated film. From its music—John Powell absolutely nailed it—to the character design and the atmosphere of its world, there is something about it that still feels uniquely memorable.
What I love most, though, is its deeper idea: understanding can be more powerful than fear, and questioning what everyone around you accepts as obvious can completely change the way you see the world. Hiccup does not become strong by becoming like everyone else; he becomes strong by seeing differently.
The True Believer stayed with me because of its idea that people at opposite ideological extremes can sometimes resemble each other more than they resemble those in the middle. The book made me think less about the label of a belief and more about the mindset behind it—especially how certainty, identity, and the need to belong can shape the way people attach themselves to a cause.
Thinking, Fast and Slow made me much more cautious about trusting my first impression. What I liked most is how it shows that even when we feel completely rational, our judgment can still be shaped by shortcuts, biases, and intuition. It made me think more carefully about how I make decisions, especially when the answer feels obvious.
Deep Work changed the way I think about focus. It made me realize how rare uninterrupted concentration has become, and how much meaningful work depends on protecting it. I especially like the idea that depth is not just a productivity trick, but a skill that has to be deliberately built and defended.
Why Nations Fail put into words something I had been thinking about for a long time. It gave a name to a question that seems to make many people uneasy: why do some societies struggle to turn talent, effort, and resources into lasting prosperity? The book made me look much more closely at the role institutions play in shaping opportunity, innovation, and a country's future.
I am a regular Einaudi listener. I also believe that many of today's film scores will become the classics of tomorrow.
