Forrest Gump: Why the film about a man with mental retardation has become a cult? Forrest Gump is a film directed by Robert Zemeckis based on the novel of the same name by Winston Groom. A simple story about a mentally retarded guy with a strange name has become a classic of world cinema. The meaning of the film “Forrest Gump” is the ability to enjoy life, sincerely love and be yourself, no matter what.
Forrest Gump Plot Summary
A man sits at a bus stop in the middle of a city street. Next to him is a briefcase, on his knees is a box of chocolates. When the bus comes, he does not go anywhere, but just sits and looks ahead. When a woman sits next to him, he speaks to her: “I’m Forrest Gump. Do you want candy? I can eat one and a half million of them. My mom always said that life is like a box of chocolates – you never know what the toppings will come across. Then he begins to tell the story of his life.
Tom Hanks starring Forrest Gump. Frame from the film.Forrest lived with his mother at their family estate in Greenbow. To support her son, the woman began to rent empty rooms in the house. The boy had problems with his legs and mentality, but his mother never allowed Forrest to think that he was somehow different from the others. She believed in her son and wanted him to study among ordinary children, to live like everyone else. Once, his clumsy gait inspired even Elvis Presley, who stayed at their house. Later, this gait became a “chip” of the pop king of the scene.
At school, the boy had a hard time. The children mocked him, called him a fool and laughed. The only one who began to communicate with him was the girl Jenny. They spent all their free time together, retelling the content of their favorite books, learning from each other various everyday trifles. And one day, running away from hooligans, Forrest suddenly felt great strength in his legs. To Jenny’s cries of “Run, Forrest, run!” he rushed forward and for the first time felt a surge of real freedom.
After attending high school and graduating from college, Forrest was drafted into the army. There he met Bubba, a dark-skinned shrimp fisherman, and Lieutenant Dan. Bubba was as eccentric as Forrest himself, he constantly talked about catching shrimp and took a word from a friend that after the war they would go fishing together. But during a special operation in Vietnam, Bubba died. Lieutenant Dan, having fallen under the bombing, also almost lost his life, but Forrest carried him out of the fire.
Tom Hanks as Forrest, Mykelti Williamson as Bubba. Frame from the film.At the military hospital, he again met with Lieutenant Dan. His legs were amputated. Dan lost heart, cursed everything in the world. He accused Forerst of not letting him die a hero. In order not to get bored in the hospital, Forrest learned to play table tennis. He did it so masterfully that he was even accepted into the national team. Forrest Gump became a celebrity. He was once paid a huge sum of money for describing tennis rackets in a commercial. And then Forrest decided to fulfill the dream of a deceased friend.
He bought a schooner for catching shrimp and went fishing, when suddenly Lieutenant Dan came to him. Together they began to go to sea, but the fishing was not successful. One day after a devastating hurricane, all the fishing schooners in the area were destroyed, only Forrest’s ship survived. In a short time, having no competitors, he and Dan became “shrimp kings” and millionaires. Suddenly, Forrest’s mom got cancer and died. After burying her, he gave away part of the money to charity, and transferred half of the proceeds to Bubba’s mother.
All actions in Forrest’s life took place against the backdrop of major historical events in the United States. Presidents changed, terrorist attacks were committed, new stars of the stage were lit. But Forrest only cared about Jenny. He constantly thought about her, dreaming that one day she would simply appear in front of his house. In parallel, there is a description of her life. She got involved with crime and drugs, fell into a strong addiction, everything went downhill.
Robin Wright played the role of Jenny. Frame from the film.One day, Jenny actually appeared on the lawn right in front of an astonished Forrest. She came to him to stay. It was the happiest time for the main character when he and Jenny were together. But when Forrest asked Jenny to marry him, she refused. They spent the night together, and the next morning Jenny left again. Forrest fell into despair and, going out into the street, suddenly felt an irresistible desire to run. And he ran.
Forrest Gump ran for more than three years, crossing the United States several times up and down. He didn’t have a specific goal, he just did what his heart told him to do. And then he just got tired and went home. One day he received a letter from Jenny, in which she asked him to come to her in Savannah. When they met again, Jenny confessed to Forrest that he had a son. And his name is also Forrest. She also said that she was terminally ill with an unknown disease (obviously, we are talking about AIDS, which at that time doctors had just begun to talk about).
Forrest moved Jenny and his son to his house, they got married. Lieutenant Dan came to the wedding with his bride. He came on his new titanium legs. The newlyweds were happy, but Jenny was rapidly weakening, the disease was rapidly draining her life. One Saturday, Jenny died. Standing on her grave, Forest told how their son is growing, how smart he is, how much fun they have together. At the end of the film, Forrest Gump escorts his son to school, putting him on the bus. The meaning of the ending is that everything in life is cyclical, everything repeats, returns to normal.
The meaning of the film Forrest Gump
In addition to a purely American historical context, the film “Forrest Gump” raises ordinary human problems. In the beginning, this is the upbringing of a child with mental disabilities by a single mother. Then the topic of teaching children with developmental disabilities in a regular school. This is followed by moments close to everyone, such as first love, a serious illness, the death of loved ones.
The essence of the film “Forrest Gump” is that it shows a protest against generally accepted standards – “psychos have no place among ordinary people”, “everyone must become successful in life”, “happiness must be torn out of fate with teeth.” Forrest, despite the difficulties surrounding him, does not become angry, does not try to go over the heads and prove something to someone. He remained a sincere, faithful friend, a loving son, just a good person.
The light feather that appears at the beginning and end of the film is a metaphor. The protagonist “flew” through all the key events in the history of the United States and could even influence them, remaining invisible. At the same time, the author wanted to show that Forrest himself, like this light feather, simply surrenders to the breath of the wind.
He does not dwell on problems, does not judge anyone and does not prove anything to anyone. He simply lives, but this is precisely the deep hidden meaning of the existence of every person on earth.
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