No other director has moved me as profoundly as Akira Kurosawa has. He is a masterful storyteller and the way he captures nature is breathtaking. I first discovered Kurosawa on TCM. "Rashomon" was playing though I didn't know the name of the film at the time. The way he filmed the trees, the way they moved, the lighting of the woods in the rape scene, the powerful rainfall, all of it captured me and I was transfixed until the end when I finally found out who the director was. I've seen almost all of his films now and I am still deeply affected by his work. I can't say any other director has made me think as much as Kurosawa does, or made me feel as deeply as he does.
Another wonderful director is Woody Allen. He's made some klunkers, but when he's good, like in "Annie Hall," he is very good!
Go now and rent "Seven Samurai" or "Rashomon" if you're looking for inspiration in your life. I am a 42 year old housewife and he changed the way I view cinema for good.