A review of Good Will Hunting

One of my favourite films is Good Will Hunting, which was produced by Miramax, directed by Gus van Sant, and written by Matt Damon and Ben Affleck, who both also star in the film. Other cast members include Robin Williams, Stellan Skarsgard and Minne Driver. It was released in January 1998 and had a budget of $10,000,000.

The film centres around Will Hunting, a young mathematical genius who works as a janitor at MIT and leads a fairly uninspiring existence in a sparsely furnished flat in an impoverished area in South Boston. He had a traumatic childhood as an abused foster child and as the film progresses we as an audience begin to see how he subconsciously blames himself for how he was treated. When he solves an extremely difficult maths equation in the hallway of MIT, his immense talent is noticed by Professor Lambeau, who ends up bailing him out of jail when he assaults a police officer - under the condition that Will agrees to study mathematics under his guidance and see a psychotherapist. Faced with the alternative, unfavourable prospect of going to prison, Will agrees to the terms.

Five therapists later, Lambeau is close to giving up on Will until he asks an old school friend Sean (Williams) to talk to him, who agrees to see Will again even though he purposefully insults and provokes Sean in the first session.

In one of my favourite scenes in the film, Sean talks to Will about how things can only be learnt through experience, by actually living through them rather than just reading about them in books.   'You don't know about real loss cause it only occurs when you've loved something more than you love yourself. You're an orphan, right? You think I know the first thing about how hard your life had been, because I read Oliver Twist? Personally, I don't give a s**t about all that...Unless you want to talk about you, who you are. Then I'm fascinated. I'm in. But you don't wanna do that, do you, sport? You're terrified of what you might say.'

Sean helps Will in many ways, mainly through encouraging him to take a chance with Skylar, a girl he's dating but is unsure of whether he wants to continue the relationship, due to his fear of loss and abandonment. As the film progresses, both characters help each other to grow and move on from their past traumas - Sean's being his beloved wife's death due to cancer.

The film ends on a touching note, as Will takes a chance and moves to California with Skylar, proving how much Sean has helped him grow emotionally. 

The acting is very strong throughout the film, with the most impressive performances coming from a young Matt Damon, and Robin Williams, who plays the role of the humorous and wise therapist with characteristic insight and  originality. 

             
The cinematography is also excellent, an example being the scene of Will on an empty train. The completely empty carriage gives a peaceful and introspective feel to the scene, giving the audience a further look into Hunting's troubled mind, as it is one of the few scenes where he is totally alone.  This, coupled with the warm colours that are used, such as amber, creates a sense of empathy for Damon's character and make him seem a softer, gentler character rather than the violent and troubled youth which he appears as for the majority of the film.

Throughout the film camera angles are used to great effect, an example being a scene which shows Sean drinking alone in his apartment. Mise en scene is used to show the loneliness and disarray of his life, with dirty dishes and a whisky bottle being the only objects in the room.

I love this film because I think it presents such a unique and perceptive view of love, vulnerability and friendship.