A leaf blows in the wind, levitating above the sidewalk. It’s intriguing to you, so you follow it. You are so focused on the leaf that you don’t realize you’ve walked 8 blocks in the wrong direction and are well on your way for being late to the appointment you’re supposed to be at in 15 minutes. Just then a strong gust of wind blows making the leaf take off out of your sight and bringing you back to reality.

You are wondering what made you follow a leaf for 8 blocks and are starting to feel irritated that you’ve gone out of your way to do something so silly. As you’re about to turn around and make your way back, you run directly into a person, who, funnily enough is visiting your city for the first time and has found themselves lost. Your eyes meet and, yes, you see sparks. It’s unlike anything you’ve ever experienced before. You then find yourself amazed that this little leaf and a wrong set of directions brought 2 people who weren’t supposed to be where they were together.

Or perhaps, you are on your way to your wedding. It’s the perfect big ideal wedding that one could only dream of, but on the way there you’re car is blocked by a flock of sheep. The sheep won’t move, in fact they are surrounding the car. You should be panicking, but instead you find yourself in awe of the sheep. You get out of the car, (your bridesmaids are yelling at you because you’ll get your dress dirty), and you sit with the flock of sheep. Turns out, you don’t want to get married. No. What do you want? You want to spend time with sheep, become a shepard, and live the rest of your life on a farm.

There is something so romantic about taking these unexpected and maybe unwanted moments and seeing how it actually had a deeper purpose for happening. This isn’t some new untouched territory that we’re now just exploring. Thematically, it’s been explored many, many times but it is genuinely one of my favorite stories to see. Why? It feels magical. It blurs the lines of what we see as coincidence as fate. I think deep down everybody wants to believe that there are things out there that are just undeniably meant for us and that’s what these movies give us. Just a little bit of hope that we aren’t walking around purposeless.

So, if you’re feeling a little bit like that and need something to inspire you to go out and follow your own little leaf, here is a short list of movies with characters fated to be. You can also check out the list on my Letterboxd! (I’ll continue adding to this list, so be sure to follow me on there to keep up!)

1. Eternal Sunshine of the spotless mind (2004) Directed by Michel Gondry
2. Past Lives (2023) Directed by Celine Song
3. Touch (2024) Directed by Baltasar Kormákur
4. When Harry Met Sally (1989) Rob Reiner
5. Already Tomorrow in Hong Kong (2015) Directed by Emily Ting
6. ‘Before’ Trilogy Directed by Richard Linklater
   1. Before Sunrise (1995)
   2. Before Sunset (2004)
   3. Before Midnight (2013)
7. Serendipity (2001) Peter Chelsom
8. Notting Hill (1999) Roger Michell
9. (500) Days of Summer Directed by Marc Webb
10. Like Crazy (2011) Directed by Drake Doremus
11. The Lake House (2006) Directed by Alejandro Agretsi
12. About Fate (2022) Directed by Marius Weisberg
13. Before We Go Directed by Chris Evans
14. Love at First Sight (2023) Directed by Vanessa Caswill
15. View from the Top (2003) Directed by Bruno Baretto
16. The Greatest Hits (2024) Directed by Ned Benson

What’s your favorite “Invisible String” movie or story? Let me know so I can check it out too 🙂