FilmInsight Film Analysis Thread

[chezzy62]

Hey guys, hope everyone is doing well. About 2 years ago, I got sick. And throughout my situation, I was inspired with many ideas. I took a great interest in life/psychology, and began writing inspirational film articles.

These aren't reviews, and they MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS. I will create a new post for each movie, I hope it's alright . I'll start with some of my favorites.

A Beautiful Mind - Life Isn't an Equation

A Beautiful Mind is a truly beautiful movie, and it should not be missed by anyone of proper age to appreciate its beauty. It is about a schizophrenic mathematician named “John Nash”, who spends all of his days trying to find a revolutionary discovery/formula that will change life. The irony, is that life doesn’t work out if we try to solve it like an equation. It is only when we let go and let life happen to us, that we will find our true happiness. The Beautiful Mind is an exaggerated tale of this law, and how terrible life can get if you try to solve its nonexistent formula.

John Nash is an awkward man, not good in social situations, but an amazingly talented mathematician. He is so good, in fact, that he spends most of his time trying to find a revolutionary discovery in mathematics. I like to think of it as a “Life formula”, or a discovery that will never happen. The twist of the movie, which happens about halfway through, is that Nash is suffering from a severe form of schizophrenia, and half of the situations/places that exist in his life, are only part of his “beautiful” mind. One imaginary character that he creates is his roommate, Charles. Nash gets along very well with Charles, which makes the audience suspicious from the start, seeing that John Nash doesn’t really get along well with anyone else. The other character that Nash creates is named Parcher, who is working to solve a conspiracy case of an atomic bomb threat towards the U.S. When the conspiracy situation goes wrong in Nash’s head, that is when he is in need of mental help. He is taken into a psychiatric hospital, and receives intense treatment. Upon returning home, the visions are suppressed, but so is every aspect of John Nash’s beautiful mind. He no longer can think right, feel right, or act right. He stops taking the medication, and loses another battle with his schizophrenia. Instead of going back to the hospital, he tries to battle the hallucinations on his own. This is the turning point of the movie, where Nash learns how to really live his life.

Nash learns that life is more than making a discovery, or solving an equation. There is love and emotion involved; A wife, taking care of your baby, and the everyday joys of life. Instead of focusing his time on himself, John decides to go back to teaching classes, and shares his amazing knowledge with his students. All this, while ignoring the characters that took over his mind. This is where an amazing inspirational quote is mentioned by John Nash, which I will mention here:

“Are the hallucinations…gone?”
“No, but I’ve gotten used to ignoring them, and as a result, they’ve kind of given up on me. I think that’s sorta what it’s like with dreams and nightmares. We’ve gotta keep feeding them for them to stay alive”

That is one of the most true and inspirational quotes I have ever heard. Dreams will gradually disappear, if we do not focus on them, and take constant action towards them. Nightmares will continue, as long as we feed them our attention. John Nash wins a Nobel Peace Prize at the end of the movie, for his contributions to society. A Beautiful Mind is a movie about the importance of enjoying every day of life, and not getting caught up in ridiculous theories or fantasies for a future that may never be. If we don’t focus on the present moment, it may be the biggest regret in our life. Embrace life each day, don’t embrace a fantasy world.


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My website contains many articles just like this one. Analyzing the important life messages presented in our favorite movies. If you liked these articles, my website has a whole bunch of them.

Please let me know what you think! I will post some more tomorrow.

I TAKE REQUESTS

[chezzy62]

Up - Finding New Adventure

SPOILER WARNING



Our lives always have room for a little adventure. But there is something even more important than the adventure itself: It’s who we spend the adventure with. In “Up”, Carl Fredricksen lives his adventure alongside his wife. In the first 10 minutes of the movie, you learn about how happy he is with his wife, and how perfect the are together. Then, you see devastation. Mr. Fredricksen and his wife are crushed, when they can’t have a baby. Then, you see Carl’s devastation when his wife is taken from him. The only thing that keeps him going after his wife’s death, is one final adventure that she had always wanted to embark on: Living in South America. Mr. Fredricksen, out of love for his wife, goes on one final adventure. What he discovers along the way, is something he could never have imagined.

“Up” is both uplifting, and depressing. It can give the viewers a sense of poignancy about all of the lost time. It can also uplift people, to take a bold risk, and go on a new adventure! One of the main themes of the movie, is the ability to start fresh at any given moment.

“Thanks for the adventure. Now go have one of your own”, is Ellie’s final, posthumous message for Carl. She appreciates, and cherishes the time that they spent together. But what she really wants, is for Carl to find a new adventure. To find a new meaning in life, even though the love of his life has passed away. Isn’t this what you would want for your own family members, after you die?

Carl Fredricksen goes on an adventure, just as Ellie asked him. He ties miracle balloons to his house, and floats off to South America. Cheesy and unrealistic? Yes. But the concept is absolutely delightful! Carl sets off on his adventure, and Russell inadvertently comes along.

Russell does have an interesting story, and it is the reason for his social awkwardness. His father is no longer there for him, and it crushes Russell on the inside. His dad is ‘too busy’ to spend time with him, and any of his family members. His entire family life is slowly deteriorating, and he is just an innocent bystander. That is, until he met Carl Fredricksen.

What makes ‘Up” such a great movie, is the clash of character situations. Mr. Fredricksen is old, depressed, and trying to figure out how to live after the death of his wife. Russell is just a young boy, trying to figure out how to live without the support of his father. In a way, they are both the same character, trying to figure things out. In the end, they develop a father-son relationship, that will be remembered for a long time to come.

“Up”, is also a movie about letting go of your attachments. When most of the magical helium balloons have popped, Mr. Fredricksen is faced with a life changing decision. The only way to make the house float again, is to get rid of all of his old possessions. Everything that he and his wife shared together. After much thought and deliberation, Carl utters the most powerful quote of the movie: “It’s just a house!”. And that it is! Material items cannot hold any emotional possessions, unless we allow them to. All of the emotions that we have felt in the past, are still in our heads. A house is just a house. The difference between a house and a home, is the emotional meaning that you attach to your house. Only then, is it called, your home.

By letting go of his house, he let go of his past. Mr. Fredricksen gave himself a clean slate. He was able to do this, because he knew that his wife would approve. The movie concludes with a beautiful moment shared between Russell and Mr. Fredricksen. We see the father-son bond between the 2 characters, and we know that everything will be alright. Is the ending too much like a fairy tale? Possibly. But that doesn’t detract from the powerful message of this extraordinary film: Life begins, and life ends. We will suffer tragic loss, and we will experience incredible wins. What’s most important, is how you will react to your tragic losses. Will you break down? Or will you seek a new adventure, after an old one has passed?

Up Film Analysis

Thanks for reading! Any questions/comments?