The film Good Will Hunting was directed by Gus Van Sant and released in 1997. It follows a young man, Will, who works as a janitor at a university. He is a genius, but he also has psychological issues which prevent him from leading a fulfilling life. His friends and the girlfriend he meets make him change his perspective on the world. It is important for all the people to able to realize their full potential in order to be contributing members of the society.
The main characters change showing that they realize a deeper life lesson because Will makes them realize what the true meaning in life is. Will has struggle in accepting himself as a member of the society because he is used to being marginalized. Hi best friend Chuckie says to him: “But you know what the best part of my day is? For about ten seconds, from when I pull up to the curb and when I get to your door, 'cause I think, maybe I'll get up there and I'll knock on the door and you won't be there” (Van Sant, Good Will Hunting). The message here is that Chuckie wishes for Will to have a good life, much better than the one he has living in a marginalized part of the society. Will has no formal education, but he is extremely gifted and gets noticed once he solves a mathematical problem at the premises of the faculty in which he swipes floors. The symbol in the story is the life in the suburbs in which Will lives because he also stays away from the society.
The person with whom Will establishes the most meaningful relationship is Sean, his psychotherapist. Sean says to him: “You'll have bad times, but it'll always wake you up to the good stuff you weren't paying attention to” (Van Sant, Good Will Hunting). He wants to say that hiding away from the reality is not a good way of leading life because it does not do good and prevents the person from having good experience in life. The psychotherapist believes that it is important for people to be present in their lives and to care about everything that happens. Life consists of good things and of bad things and it cannot be ignored because if a person choses to ignore life, they will also ignore the good things from happening. This is counterproductive and makes a person miserable. People need to experience love and be open to the positivity in life as well as to new experiences. Will needs psychotherapeutic session because he is immature and too scared to use hi intelligence for the benefit of the society as a whole. He enjoys his solitary life and the company of his friends who belong to the working class, but even his friends wish for him to lead a better life.
The psychotherapist, Sean, helps Will think about his life and he leads him to the right path. “Will: So, uh, what is it, like, Will has an attachment disorder? Is it all that stuff? / [Sean nods] / Will: Fear of abandonment? Is that why I broke up with Skylar?“ (Van Sant, Good Will Hunting). This is a common fear among young people who are afraid of getting attached. There are many reasons for this, but it has become and issue which has to be dealt with and faced with extreme seriousness. Fear of being abandoned means that people are vulnerable and makes them even more vulnerable because those who suffer from this problem are fragile and the quite opposite of what they are showing to the world. It is important to accept oneself and to seek for professional help in order to have a better quality of life.
Good Will Hunting is a film that has a powerful message for all generations because it teaches people how to deal with their close ones who have psychological difficulties. Will is a person who does not want to admit that he has problems, but once his friends recognize it as well as the university professors, his life changes for the better. Each personal has a unique struggle in life and they have to endure it so that better things could happen to them.
Works Cited
Van Sant, Gus, dir. Good Will Hunting. Miramax Films, 1997. Film.
