It’s not a waste of time if it’s about philosophy, right? Here are The Ethics Centre’s top 10 non-blockbuster picks for you to sit back, relax and imbibe on your holiday.

1. Examined Life

This philosophy fan’s wet dream brings heavyweights like Judith Butler, Slavoj Žižek and Cornell West together. The doco takes philosophy out of academia and onto the streets.

2. American Anarchist

There’s no putting the genie back into this bottle. A 66 year old teacher of special needs children grapples with the violent reach of the bomb manual he wrote at age 19.

3. Kedi

Filmed at whisker-height, this documentary-cum-urban love letter to Turkey’s stray cats is a lyrical and surprisingly philosophical tribute to the healing power of pets. Meow!

4. Alice

We dare you to look away from one frame of this Czech stop motion! Dissatisfied with the fairy tale film versions of Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland, the creator made this dreamlike visual spectacular.

5. Taste of Cherry

A haggard man trawling Tehran looking for someone to help bury him after he takes his own life finds different meditations on life, God, and the taste of cherry. Don’t judge it by its trailer!

6. In the Mood for Love

A lush and delicate tragedy of restraint. Two neighbours, heartbroken by their adulterous spouses, fall in love with each other.

7. A Serious Man

A troubled man seeks the advice of three wildly differing rabbis in this modern take on the Book of Job. Another quirky Coen Brothers film. What is the meaning of life?

8.Never Let Me Go

In a harrowing sci-fi dystopia, an idyllic town gives children a perfect childhood to prepare for a short-lived future as organ donors. Makes you think about farm animals in a new light.

9. The Wind Will Carry Us

A busy filmmaker set to capture the obscure, ancient burial ceremony of a 100 year old Kurdish woman is disappointed when she takes longer to die than expected.

10. Like Father, Like Son

This Japanese film transforms the typically sensationalist story of children switched at birth into a gentle and composed musing on the bonds that create families – and how we break them.