8 movies for a rainy Sunday

Rain on a Sunday has one advantage: nobody expects you to go out. These eight films suit a day like that. The first ones are light and warm, the last ones need more time and attention and give you more back in return. You can pick one or build a whole afternoon out of them.

My Neighbor Totoro

1988, 86 minutes. Two sisters move with their father into an old house in the countryside and, in the woods behind it, meet Totoro, a large, furry forest spirit. Hayao Miyazaki tells the story without a villain and without hurry. One of its best-known scenes takes place at a bus stop in pouring rain, which makes it a natural fit for today. How to continue with Ghibli is in .

Paddington 2

2017, 103 minutes. Paddington wants to give his Aunt Lucy a special pop-up book for her 100th birthday and runs into a vain actor with many disguises, played by Hugh Grant. Director Paul King fills every frame with small ideas. A film for children and adults, warm-hearted without being sugary.

Singin' in the Rain

1952, 103 minutes. Hollywood in the late 1920s: sound arrives, and a silent-film couple suddenly has to talk and sing, which does not go equally well for both. Gene Kelly, Debbie Reynolds and Donald O'Connor sing and dance their way through the change. The scene in which Gene Kelly dances through the pouring rain is familiar to many people who have never seen the film.

Groundhog Day

1993, 101 minutes. A grumpy weatherman from Pittsburgh is sent to cover Groundhog Day in a small town and wakes up the next morning on the same day again. And the next. Bill Murray plays him, Harold Ramis directed. A comedy that, along the way, says a lot about patience and about what you can make of a single day.

Amélie

2001, 122 minutes. A shy waitress in Montmartre decides to secretly make the lives of the people around her a little better. Jean-Pierre Jeunet bathes Paris in warm green and red, Audrey Tautou plays Amélie, and the music is by Yann Tiersen. Playful and dreamy, for anyone who enjoys small details.

Good Bye, Lenin!

2003, 121 minutes. East Berlin, 1989: a committed socialist falls into a coma shortly before the Wall comes down. When she wakes up months later, she must not get upset, so her son keeps the GDR alive inside her flat, although it no longer exists outside. Daniel Brühl plays the son, Wolfgang Becker directed. Funny and sad at the same time.

A Man Called Ove

2015, 117 minutes. Ove is a widower in a Swedish housing estate who checks every morning that everyone is following the rules. Then new neighbours move in next door who are not very impressed by that. The film is based on the novel by Fredrik Backman, with Rolf Lassgård in the title role. There is also an American remake with Tom Hanks, A Man Called Otto.