By Luisa Cvintal, year 13
The movie Good Will Hunting was published in 1997, and it was directed and written by two best friends, Matt Damon and Ben Affleck. This romance and drama film is about a boy named Will Hunting, played by one of the writers themselves, Matt Damon. The boy works at MIT as a janitor but is known to be very intelligent in the mathematics field. Following the story, a professor figures it was the boy Will who had been writing math equations on the board that was placed in the hallway of the maths department. He helps him become successful. However, the professor and Will face conflicts and challenges as the professor tries to help him. He wants him to use his intelligence, but Will refuses. We see throughout the story how Will gets a therapist (played by Robbie Willams) and slowly creates a strong bond, opening up to his therapist Sean.
I believe this movie delivers a raw and beautiful performance. Portraying the themes of never giving up on a passion or talent you have. It shows that you may face many ups and downs in life, but you should never give up and keep going. In the movie Will refuses to continue his passion for mathematics, but he is encouraged to keep going. This also leads to the message of never being afraid to reach for help from the right people, because the right people, taking the example of Will’s therapist, will push you and encourage you to keep going. I think it also depicts the themes of dwelling on the past or future and how that can impact your wanting to complete goals or dreams you have, but you should never allow that to affect you. This movie also touches on the theme of identity crisis. Will dwells on his past with his abusive childhood, and this impacts him to doubt his self-worth and intelligence. However, with his therapist he is told that he is stronger than he believes. This depicts how you should never doubt your intelligence because of events in your past, and you should never let it impact your passion for a hobby or interest and do just as Will had done, move forward.
The actors truly deliver an amazing performance, and the themes of this film remind people to never give up on a dream you have. Each actor portrays their characters so differently with body language and tone in voice, which is an element that brings the movie to life. I myself was in true awe and felt very touched by how the characters were portrayed. I also find it impressive that Matt Damon both played and directed in the film.
I believe this movie is worth watching, it demonstrates and shows important themes, making it an inspiring and nice movie to watch. I definitely recommend it, which is also why I am writing about it. It may not be for all but hopefully for some to enjoy. Overall it is truly a lovely and touching story to watch.
Resources
https://gipshospital.com/movie-analysis-good-will-hunting#gsc.tab=0
