Finding Forrester: Film Analysis

“Someone I once knew wrote that we walk away from our dreams afraid that we may fail or worse yet, afraid we may succeed” (William Forrester). Finding Forrester is a well-paced drama with interesting complex characters and a chilling plot. The film shows a talented 16 year old boy with amazing intelligence slowly progresses into becoming friends with an older man. The film is directed by Gus Van Sant, it stars Sean Connery as William Forrester, Rob Brown as Jamal Wallace, F. Murray Abraham as Professor Robert Crawford, and Anna Paquin as Claire Spence. The story takes place in 2000s New York. Finding Forrester would be classed as a drama and it is not family friendly do to language and other events. The story starts off with the main character,

Crawford had a goal of getting a book that he had written published. After he had written a novel he went to get it published but with the rumors of the talented writer, William Forrester, writing his second book every publishing company turned away Crawford in hopes of publish Forresters new novel. To Crawford's disappointment he decided to get a teaching job at a private school instead of trying to get his novel published. In his sullen state about not reaching his dreams he finds one of his new students interesting. Crawford believes that when the young man, Jamal, turns in a piece of his writing that he is not good enough to have written such a piece of writing. With determination to find something wrong with Jamal's writing he comes across an article the Forrester had written and notices the title and first paragraph are the same. With excitement he brings this to the attention of Jamal and gives him one of the biggest dilemmas of his life: get permission from Forrester or not be able to participate in a contest. In conclusion, William Forrester, Jamal Wallace, and Robert Crawford helped create the story and drama in Finding Forrester. It is a film about unexpected friendship and overcoming the obstacles faced in life. Finding Forrester is a profound film because it shows an older writer can aid an aspiring writer into becoming amazing. William Forrester expressed this when he stated decades before meeting Jamal, “The rest of those who have gone before us cannot steady the unrest of those to follow” (William