Here are five to help you get through

We’re facing a national financial disaster . Here are some films that should help prepare you for what’s happening now and what might be on the horizon:

“Wall Street” (1987): Want to know why we’re in such sad shape? Oliver Stone gave us some indication with this study of capitalism and the ethics of one aptly named businessman, Gordon Gekko. Remember: “Greed is good.” Right.

“The Grapes of Wrath” (1940): Working from Nunnally Johnson’s adaptation of John Steinbeck’s massive (464 pages) study of the Great Depression, John Ford gives us a few pointers about what to do after the financial fall. No. 1: stay away from California.

“Children of Men” (2006): In Alfonso Cuaron’s adaptation of P.D. James’ novel, the conceit is that humans can’t reproduce. Which sets us on the path of cultural destruction. But we don’t need conceits to see the real-life possibility of black-suited thugs imprisoning immigrants and protestors.

“The Terminator” (1984): Robots/androids/cyborgs, whatever you want to call them, have taken over. Humans fight to remain relevant. James Cameron’s suggestions: Arm yourself, then seek out a savior.

“The Matrix” (1999): A potential future, one that sees humans being used as the energy that runs the world. A human named Neo swallows the red pill and, following a lot of cool kick-ass fights, sees the way to liberation. It all begins again.

Below: The trailer for the Wachowski brothers’ original entry in their “Matrix” trilogy.