Good Will Hunting: Movie Review

Matt Damon plays the role of Will Hunting who is a troubled genius in the movie Good Will Hunting directed by Gus Van Sant. When an individual becomes aware and mindful of their own beliefs and values, it influences one to work their way towards becoming resilient.

When individuals are not under the influence of their own beliefs and values, it causes them to live without knowing the possibilities life holds. Will Hunting is a troubled genius who is forced to undergo weekly therapy and study advanced mathematics with renowned Professor Gerald Lambeau. Through his therapy sessions, Will uncovers his hidden potential and re-evaluates his life. Will is a twenty-year-old self-taught individual who lives in South Boston working as a janitor at MIT and spends his free time drinking with his friends as he does not know what to do with his life. He is short tempered, speaks his mind and gets into trouble easily. Will is also able to solve difficult math problems that even top students at the university are unable to do which makes him a genius. The opening credits in the movie are a montage that portrays Will’s everyday life but instead of using a conventional technique such as, cut to show movement, the director, Gus Van Sant uses a unique effect. (01:11 – 02:25) This provides viewers with the impression that Will is a complicated person made up of many elements that make him whole. The use of long shot in the opening scenes (02:24) used by the director focuses the viewers attention to the surroundings. Through his surroundings, Gus Van Sant implies that Will is an individual who like to teach himself. Will resides in the southern part of Boston renowned for troubled kids during the late 90’s. The use of cut in these scenes portray the surroundings of the neighborhood where Will lives in. (03:00 – 03:02) This provides the viewers an insight into how his character will be shaped throughout the movie. The medium and push in shot signifies Will’s interest in the subject of mathematics as he stares at the equation on the blackboard. (04:41 – 04:50) The close up shot of Will in the mirror solidifies the impression that indeed Will is a genius who is capable to solving problems despite being a working-class individual. (06:08) Usually people would be under the impression that someone of a working class would not possess a talent like Will. However, Will proves that common ideology wrong when Professor Lambeau caught him solving a difficult math problem. Backtracking, viewers witnessed the scene where Will’s abusive side was portrayed as he brutally beat up a guy who used to bully him. (11:11 – 12:06) This demonstrates Will’s short temper as he cannot contain his emotions and how it influences his decisions. Will is also skeptical about opening himself up to others as he had been left behind by many foster families who abused him. This is demonstrated in the line, “so you just wanted to, to use this sailor and then, uh, run away, huh?” This scene with Skylar enforces the idea that Will is afraid to build a relationship because of the fear of being left behind alone. Will is a carefree individual who does not yet understand himself and without any influence over himself, he lives carelessly in his world.

When individuals learn about the influence self discovery can have on themselves, it motivates one to learn about the nature of resilience. Will being a short-tempered individual who always lost his cool and ended up in a gang fight. This caused him to appeal at a court which can potentially mean a lifetime of jail. However, Professor Lambeau arranges for Will to undergo therapy instead of spending jailtime. Will accepts his offer to learn about advanced mathematics, but he treats his first few therapists with mockery. Sean Maguire, a therapist at Bunker Hill Community College challenges Will’s defensive mechanisms which eventually makes Will open up to him. Will is confronted by his suppressed emotions when he went to the city park with Sean. When Sean mentioned, “You don’t know about real loss… ‘cause that only occurs when you love something more than yourself.” (49:06) This dialogue puts viewers under the impression that Will is an inexperienced individual who does not understand the depth of human emotion because he does not allow himself to be opened up to others. The close up shot on Will’s face right after the dialogue enforces this impression which is seen on Will’s facial expression. (49:25) Sean brings up the fact about Will’s life that he is “scared about what [he] might say.” (50:46) Sean exposed Will yet again which is reinforced as the camera cuts to a close up shot of Will. (50:48) The use of mise-en-scene is used very effectively throughout this whole scene. The setting of the park is effective in bringing out Will’s hidden nature as he enclosed himself from the reality of the world. Through the weekly conversations with Sean, Will discovered parts of his flaws which influenced him to make an attempt at confronting his fears. This was portrayed when he attempted to make a phone call to Skylar. The negative space and lighting used in this scene demonstrated that Will was uncomfortable to face his fear of building a relationship. (51:57) This impacted him in contacting Skylar but his conversation with Sean influenced him to at least attempt at being resilient. By being enclosed from others, Will realizes that he is interested in interacting with others as he discovers bit of himself each time.

Despite being influenced by one’s self discovery, an individual can be obstructed from being resilient due to the anticipation of loss and emotional turmoil. Throughout his sessions with Sean, Will takes on a different perspective each time as he discovers a bit of himself that he is concealing from the world. He takes one step at a time confronting his fears which can be seen when Sean says, “… but the only way you’re findin’ out that one is by givin’ it a shot.” (58:00) The director focuses on Will’s facial expression as Sean advices Will to be direct with his emotions. (58:24) With the close up shot, it is expressed through Will’s emotions that he is in a conflict of whether to confront his emotions or not. However, Will considers Sean’s advice and attempts to build a relationship with Skylar. Van Sant uses a medium shot to capture Will’s expression when he spends time with Skylar at the dog race. (1:01:31) Here Will is seen to enjoy his time with Skylar and with the use of warm colors viewers get the impression that Will is being himself and is comfortable with it. Will does not trust people and what they have to offer because he was abandoned by the people who was supposed to love him the most. He was also abused by all the foster families he lived with. This is most apparent in the scene where he breaks up with Skylar. When Skylar asked Will “to come to California with [her],” (1:23:05) his fears and insecurities that he grew up with are exposed at their peak when he lashed out at the thought of moving out with Skylar. The use of handheld camera invokes a feeling so real as if viewers were placed in the room with them. (1:25:11 – 1:26:34) Will is once again faced with a certainty that he might be abandoned by the person he loves the most which causes him to panic and lash out which shows that he does not want to be alone again. Will is particularly hesitant towards opening himself up to others. However, through the sessions with Sean, Will gets insight into the qualities of life and approaches them with a different perspective each time to experience and understand it. The influence of self discovery on Will awakens his desire to become resilient but by being faced with an anticipation of loss and failure, he purposely sabotages them to avoid emotional agony.

Upon coming to a realization that one’s inner fears are holding them back from moving forward, their self discovery influences them to push themselves beyond their boundaries to be resilient. Will Hunting changed his life around as he experienced the different possibilities life can bring forward if he takes a risk and acts towards achieving something. Through his meetings with Sean and his relationship with Skylar, Will was opened up to a world that he neglected his whole life. He learned to accept his fear and the possibility of failure which influenced him to take risks in life that will make use of his brilliance. On the other hand, Will’s transformation affected Sean by allowing him to recover from his wife’s death and move forward. It is important to notice the change in Will because he possesses a talent that would be laid to waste if he had not utilized it properly. Moreover, his childhood trauma would have affected him in a negative way in the long run if he had not received therapy. Will’s close friend Chuckie made Will realize his potential and encouraged him to pursue his given gift by giving out cold hard facts about life: “it’d be an insult to us… waste of your time.” (1:43:00 – 1:43:56) The camera angle pans to Will and stays still on a medium shot of Will enforcing the severity of the situation and how hard the words hit Will. (1:44:01) The medium shot on Will enforces that he is struck by Chuckie’s words as if he finally understood that he is holding himself back because he is afraid of losing the relationships he had built up. This is evident when Will mentioned, “Like Will has an attachment disorder?… Fear of abandonment?” (1:48:38) Sean acted as the last piece of catalyst to break Will free of his inner fears when he mentioned, “It’s not your fault, son.” (1:49:22) A repetition of that line made by Sean continually enhanced the dramatic effect of the scene and made Will realize that he is not at fault for how he grew up. Will broke down after having acknowledged his past which influenced him later on to become resilient as he took an initiative to “stay in touch” (1:53:35) with Sean. This demonstrates that Will has learned to trust others and he is genuinely interested in maintaining a relationship with another for the first time. Will also pursued after Skylar which portrays that he is no longer bound by his fears and that he had became resilient by acknowledging his fears: “I had to go see about a girl, Will.” (2:01:45) By acknowledging one’s fears and learning to accept the risks in life brought to light through self discovery, Will learns to become resilient.

As individuals become aware of their values and beliefs through self discovery and learn to take risks, it influences one to be pursue being resilient. Will lives in his cocoon of emotional safety out of fear that people will not love him back because he is afraid to get hurt. Will’s evolution influenced him to pursue something out of his comfort zone, to experience it, and become resilient by discovering the capabilities one possesses. Everyone is afraid of discomfort, of getting hurt or what other people may think of themselves but the experiences worth most having are difficult, the ones where individuals are most vulnerable of getting hurt. One thing that anyone can relate to is that being vulnerable is the scariest thing in the world except for leading a life where one throws in the towel knowing they could have been more. That is something an individual never recovers from. Good Will Hunting serves as a reminder for viewers to take risks, to pursue after things, and to do something that one is not quite sure of.