This turbulent and grim family melodrama, from 1957, is steered away from the maudlin and given emotional depth and philosophical heft under the direction of Yasujiro Ozu.

NEWYORKER: Tokyo Twilight

Today's electronic forms of communication may lack that emotional depth but they do enable us to connect more speedily and efficiently than I at least could manage with pen and ink.

BBC: A Point of View: Mourning the loss of the written word

The tale of David Gordon (John Cusack), a successful science-fiction writer and grieving widower who adopts Dennis (Bobby Coleman), a brilliant oddball, has enough emotional depth and integrity to make its flaws all the more obvious.

NEWYORKER: Martian Child

The experience of playing music together, or simply listening to it in solitude, can attune human psychology to the experience of balance and co-operation, increasing the depth of our capacity for emotional engagement with others.

ECONOMIST: The power of music: Friends across the divide | The