Sun 27 Jan 2008
Forrest Gump is a great movie which I think a lot of people miss the point of. Generally, people who view the film see it as story of a slow-witted man who manages to stumble his way through various historical events of the later half of the last century. While this is a big part of the movie, it’s not the main point. The main point of the film is represented by the analogy of the of the feather at the beginning and end of the movie. Did the feather accidentally land at Forrest’s feet or was it meant to land there? Does Forrest accidentally land in the situations in the film or was he meant to be there? Do we, in real life, land in situations and meet the people who become important parts of our lives accidentally or do these things occur because they are destined to be? As Forrest says in the movie, perhaps it’s a both happening at the same time. Like Forrest, we drift in an out of each other’s lives, seemingly without purpose. Yet, in the larger scheme of things, we all have purpose and what we do in our lives affects others in ways we cannot fathom. Perhaps, if we could sit back and view our lives like a movie, we would see how important each of us truly is and how important we are to others and they to us. We may all not become famous for our actions but they are by no means any less important.
In terms of filmmaking, all aspects of the movie are first-rate, resulting in a film that won six Oscars including Best Picture and Director. The effects are superb with the integration of Tom Hanks into the historical footage a particular standout. The musical score by Alan Silvestri is also excellent, punctuated throughout the film by pop hits spanning the timeline depicted in the movie. The film is well-acted with humor and charm by the cast, headed by Tom Hanks, who won a well-deserved Oscar for Best Actor for his performance. He portrays the title character with warmth and gentleness and never plays the character for a fool, because Forrest is not a fool. While Forrest is slow-witted, he possesses all of the traits we should strive for in our lives: selflessness, loyalty and lovingness. As Forrest says, “I may not be a smart man, but I know what love is.”
Christopher Jensen




