Garden State (2004)

Garden State is a lyrically and cinematically captivating tale of finding oneself anew. Zach Braff's character comes out of his shell during a trip back home to New Jersey after his mood-control prescription has run out and Zach wants no more of it. Zach meets Natalie Portman, a free spirit who helps draw him out of a chronic state of passivity and conformity, even literally playing the wallflower (literally, in two memorable scenes). Her spontaneity (dancing on the hearth in another memorable scene) leads him to authentic feeling and a realization of what he is willing to do for love. A colleague said of Garden State "it changed my life" and I consider it one of the best movies I seen. The soundtrack is a must-have too. 5 stars.