2. Dead Poet's Society
The breakout role for Hawke came very early in his career, in what I consider to be the best film of 1989 (better than Driving Miss Daisy). The star of the film is Robing Williams as John Keating, a leader of young impressionable men in a New England boarding school. Hawke is Todd Anderson, one of the many young men who aren't quite certain how to make their way through this world. One of the best scenes in the film is when Keating forces Todd to face his fears in front of the class and he realizes there is creative talent lying beneath a mask of uncertainty, nervous energy, and emotion. Hawke once again undergoes more change than those around him, and he carries much of the emotional weight of an extremely emotional picture.