Alright, how can I put this? Symbolism for a difficult task in my life movie would have to be the movie trailer for Good Will Hunting! I have identified simplistic symbolization in movies like Beerfest, for example, when they are sitting around their freshly poured home brew and cautiously take a sip and the face of Todd lights up symbolizing the "heavenly and Divine nature" of the beer they have brewed from the family secret recipe! Easy? I thought that this assignment would be easy for me to talk about the symbolism in the movies Good Will Hunting and The King's Speech, but I admit this wasn't as easy as I anticipated.
I did not post to our classroom discussion because I did not want to miss this opportunity to figure it out on my own. I did some research online and found some psychological explanation of the personality types and so on, but really nothing that I thought explained thoroughly in my mind what was symbolic or the symbolism in this movie was. I came to the conclusion I was over thinking and over analyzing this subject matter and these movies. So, I did what most people would do - start calling people over to watch this movie with me and get their thoughts of the symbolism in the movie Good Will Hunting. I will not be calling that group again, because they were of no help and that is why on the day the assignment is due, I am sitting in a parking lot at the National Guard Armory, typing his blog from the uncomfortable position of my car.
However, I have made a few connections that I am satisfied with but really only one original idea was mine, the rest of them came from my instructor who pointed out the obvious. I will state that I am a babe in the symbolism recognition realm of movie watching and will after this class hopefully graduate to relate the symbolism in movies other that Beerfest.
According to our text, a symbol is something that stands for something else. It also states that filmmakers use universal symbols to evoke complex associations which saves them the time of creating the attitudes and feelings within the context of the film. Got it. Another way filmmakers create symbolic meanings is by repetition, value placed on an object, context, and special visual, aural or musical emphasis,(like in Kill Bill Vol. I and II the stare down music!) There are also the symbolic patterns and progressions too. And lastly in our text, it discusses the symbolic value in conflict. The symbolism forces an object to represent something beyond itself. The example was civilization versus barbarism, sensual versus spiritual and others. This one was a bit more to try and wrap the brain around, but I remembered... just a babe... one step at a time.
Armed with that information, I watched my assignments everyday this week, except today in the car, in the parking lot, in the sun that is making my screen difficult to read. Good Will Hunting's title is symbolic. The so called bad (angry and fearful) Will Hunting is who we are introduced to first in the film which by the title clues the viewer in that in the end Will Hunting will be good.
The other symbolic element was mentioned by my instructor, Will's friends giving him a car on this 21st birthday. My interpretation of the symbolism of the car are as follows: (1) the car was given on the 21st birthday which also signified his being an adult... he could legally drink in the bar, he was released from his probation, and signified a coming of age and freedom; (2) the car was pieced together by his friends each giving a piece of themselves; (3) the car looked rough, but it had a good engine - rough on the outside but a good heart - good Will Hunting.
The slow motion fight scene symbol was a bit more difficult to grasp, but after viewing I decided that what it signified to me was the beginning of facing the past and the coming to a head the fear, pain, and frustration that was mounting in Will. On a side note, if you talk to a psychologist, was is typical of young abused victims, the age of 21 is significant in that his is a time where you will see most young adults feelings coming to a head and seek out help in developing coping skills. This was a way for the filmmaker to signify a turning point in this kids life.
One bit of symbolism that I came up with on my own although I am sure that somewhere someone thought of this was the train ride. Throughout the movie it was filmed (aha, the repetition) Will riding on the train always looking inward and usually in the dark or overcast. The last train ride we see Will ride on is after his breakdown/release with Sean. All the pain and fear came out in tears with Sean and he is filmed looking out of the train with the sun on his face and he looks happy to be looking at the future.
The symbolism in the painting of Sean's is probably the most obvious for me to see. The man in the painting is lost in a large body of water appearing hopeless. The picture emits loneliness and oneness. I am not certain about the color reference other than Sean has had a bright life until the point of losing his wife and unable to find his way again. The relationship between Sean and Will has a universal theme of healing together the pains of the past and the fear of the future.
Good Will Hunting
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