Finding Forrester itself is not based on a true story, however, it is believed to have been inspired by the life of J.D. Salinger – which was later confirmed Connery himself (Holden, 2000). It is a film that was beautifully directed Gus Van Sant. It also features Sean Connery (William Forrester) and Rob Brown (Jamal Wallace) as the main protagonists – alongside characters portrayed by F. Murray Abraham, Anna Paquin, and Busta Rhymes. Despite its lengthy duration and older release date, Finding Forrester is still a film that can be considered timeless, and that makes it all the more worth it.
The film tells the story of a young man, Jamal Wallace, and a washed up writer, William Forrester. It features their interactions with one another and how they form a special bond that is unlike any other. It also shows Jamal’s progress as a writer and what his values are – Will he or will he not stay true to his word? If I were to give an instance on when the two formed some sort of bond, it would probably be that conversation when Forrester told Jamal to go away. This started off when Jamal said “I was wondering if I could bring you more of my stuff. Or maybe I could write something else.” to this, Forrester replies, “How about 5,000 words on why you should stay out of my house?!” To me, this is where everything takes off and it foreshadows the movie’s direction.
Constipated Thinking vs Writing from the Heart, A Writer’s Reality in Finding Solace
Finding Forrester is a drama that encapsulates the value of kinship, family, and love. All of the three aforementioned things that the film is about can be found in the relationship of Jamal and Forrester. If one wishes to analyze the movie’s themes, they only have to look at their interactions.
The film gives insight into what it is like to write. It particularly introduces the audience to the concept of “Constipated Thinking.’ In my understanding, I perceive this as the inability to freely write. One becomes so closed-minded that he may forget to consider other factors or circumstances. To this concept, Forrester argues with this statement saying, “The first step to writing is writing – not thinking about what you’re going to write.” This basically means that, when writing, one must allow his mind to be free of anything.
Forrester then explains that the first draft must be written with your heart, the next with your head. Writing with your heart allows one to freely express themselves without considering other people’s opinions and criticisms. When writing with your head, it must only be for polishing and tying loose-ends. These concepts presented by Forrester are fundamentals that must be understood when writing. It allows one to find solace in writing. If one applies this, they would find themselves in a world like no other. It is a world with only three inhabitants – you, the pen, and paper, nothing more and nothing less.
Finding Forrester addresses stereotyping – a 21st Century reality. Stereotyping is a concern that was presented in the film. To this day, stereotyping is still a problem. The film breaks the stereotype of black people not being able to write. It showed the berating, scorn, and mockery of Professor Crawford towards Jamal – he even refused to accept his wonderful paper about family, just because it was written by a black man who plays basketball. It is a shame that people are limited to a certain degree by society, even though stereotypes have been broken down again and again.We have people like Malcolm X, Maya Angelou, and Toni Morrison. These people have created pathways for other black people to have dreams – perhaps dreams of becoming a writer.
The film also shows that William Forrester, a world renowned writer, learned from a black, young man who was not supposed to be writing, but playing basketball. Forrester was able to realize his own dream once more, and that dream was the joy of writing. It was Jamal who rekindled a fire in Forrester’s heart. Forrester learned that writing is not for yourself alone, it is a joy that must be shared with others. On the other hand, Jamal also learned from Forrester. Other than the lessons on how to write, he learned that family comes in different shapes and sizes. This is exemplified by the fact that Jamal kept his promise to Forrester and did not betray him for his own personal gain.
With all of these being said, Finding Forrester is a wonderful film. Not only does it show the intertwining lives two unlikely individuals, it also shows the problems of society. I would recommend the film to people ages thirteen and up. To me, this allows one to grasp all of the films explicit and implicit messages that a child might miss. The messages in the film is significant to all who understands. I say this because those who do not understand will miss out on its central and important message – to live life to the fullest. To watch this film is not to critique its style, aesthetic, or technicality. To watch this means to absorb all of its wonderful pockets of knowledge and wisdom.