Editor's note: This might look like an excuse to post anarticle about movies. And it is. But as you know, the subject ofbehavioral economics and behavioral finance affects retirement plansponsors and advisors dealing with employees' financial wellness and retirement plans. So we're having it both ways.Enjoy!

(Bloomberg View) -- We’re nearing the end of 2017, whichmeans that it’s time to announce the most coveted of the annualmovie awards: the Behavioral Economics Oscars (Becons for short).Created just a few years ago, the Becons, as they are called, havetaken the film industry by storm.

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A lot of people have been wondering why that happened. The mostnatural explanation is simple: The best movies explore why humanbeings do what they do. Awards that focus on that topic are boundto resonate.

There is a pragmatic consideration, too: The judgments of themysterious awards committee (consisting, insiders say, of just oneperson) have been proved right, time and time again. (IsabelleHuppert was unquestionably the best actress of 2016!)

The 2017 Becons are the most anticipated to date, above all forone reason: Richard Thaler, the founder of behavioral economics, recently wonthe Nobel Prize. He has also appeared in a major movie picture.

Without further ado:

Best actress: Gal Gadot, "Wonder Woman"

Behavioral economists have found that people regard good news asmore credible than bad news. If people tell you that you’rebetter-looking, smarter or healthier than you think, you’llprobably respond: I guess they’re right!

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But if people tell you the opposite, the natural response is:They don’t know anything! The good news-bad news effect producesunrealistic optimism -- a characteristic of most human beings.

Wonder Woman, as played by Gal Gadot, is an extreme case ofunrealistic optimism. To her, good news provides valuable lessons;bad news is just background noise.

Who else would think that she could become the most powerfulwarrior of them all? That she could infiltrate the German HighCommand during World War II? That she could defeat Ares, who isafter all a god?

Gadot imbues Wonder Woman with ferocity, wit and delight in herown capacities. (Honorable mention to Robin Wright, who plays hermentor, Antiope, and who nearly steals the movie.)

Best actor: Colin Farrell, "The Beguiled"

Behavioral economists have long been interested in the problemof limited attention, which means that we focus on, and tend tosee, only a fragment of the information that is actually beforeus.

When we purchase appliances, we tend to ignore the costs ofshipping, even if they are ridiculously high; when we take out amortgage, we neglect hidden fees.

"The Beguiled," Sofia Coppola’s gorgeous remake of a gothicpotboiler from 1971, tells the tale of a badly injured soldierduring the Civil War, who is taken in and saved by a small group ofSouthern women and girls. All of them fall for him, and some ofthem lust for him. He reciprocates (or does he?).

Colin Farrell’s performance is beautifully restrained. Hecommunicates everything with his eyes. He’s a manipulator, but he’salso beguiled.

Unfortunately, there’s a lot those eyes don’t see. In the end,the injured soldier turns out to be blind to what matters most.Still, he ends up a winner: As Farrell limps away, he’s carryingthe Becon.

Best screenplay: W. Bruce Cameron, CathrynMichon, Audrey Wells, Maya Forbes and Wally Wolodarsky, "A Dog'sPurpose"

One of the most important findings in behavioral scienceinvolves reciprocity. Human beings are willing to sacrifice theirmaterial self-interest to be fair, and they will repay kindnesswith kindness -- even if they lose money in the process.

That basic point isn’t limited to people; it holds for otherprimates. But there’s a good argument that when it comes toreciprocity, dogs are the world champions. If you’re nice to them,they’ll give you the world.

"A Dog’s Purpose" is an extended celebration of wet noses,wagging tails, soft mouths and the uniquely canine ability to sensehuman emotions. If Cameron and his co-authors had tails,they'd be wagging; they've won the Becon.

Best director: Iram Haq, "What Will PeopleSay"

Behavioral economists focus on the immense power of socialnorms, which can lead people to suppress their beliefs and desires,and to do both wonderful and terrible things.

If you flout prevailing norms, you might be condemned by thosewho love you most. The condemnation might ruin your life.

"What Will People Say," written and directed by Haq, exploresthe life of a Norwegian teenager, Nisha, raised by Pakistani emigreparents who adore her. At school, she lives the normal life of aWestern teenager. But her parents and their friends live inaccordance with traditional cultural and religious values. WhenNisha’s father catches her in her bedroom with a boy, all hellbreaks loose. Nisha is nearly destroyed.

Haq’s film is a song of freedom, and an exploration of how weare trapped by norms we reject and by norms we embrace. In anyyear, and any culture, she deserves the Becon -- but in 2017 it isespecially fitting.

Best picture: "Marjorie Prime"

Behavioral scientists have explored the difference between“experienced utility” and “remembered utility.” While you were onvacation in Miami with the kids, you might not have had the besttime -- but afterward, you might remember it with immensefondness.

Your visits with an ailing parent might have been exceedinglypainful -- but you might remember them as irreplaceably meaningful,and they might bring you some peace.

"Marjorie Prime" is science fiction, except it isn’t. Marjorie,85 years old, has lost her husband, Walter, except she hasn’t.Because of new technology, it’s possible to create a new Walter --Walter Prime. He’s in his 40s, when their love was young.

Apparently fueled by artificial intelligence, Walter Prime looksjust like Walter, and from Marjorie’s memories and that of herfamily, he can learn. He can become Walter, to the extent thatthose memories bring him back.

But is the remembered loved one the same as the real loved one?In recollection and in grief, what do we suppress, and what do wehighlight? For anyone who is grieving or has grieved: Can we holdonto those we have lost?

The film's exploration of these questions is heartbreaking, butit also manages to be comforting. It’s extraordinary to experience,and also to remember. Becons are forever, and “Marjorie Prime”brings home the biggest of them all.

This column does not necessarily reflect the opinion of theeditorial board or Bloomberg LP and its owners.

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