Untrained newcomer Robert Brown makes a profound impact in the newest film starring Sean Connery and Busta Rhymes. The 2001 film Finding Forrester takes you on a journey of both friendship and self-exploration as an unsuspecting duo serve to mentor each other.
What surprised me most about the film is that this incredible performance by Rob Brown, a young man with virtually no experience. The only thing in his life that has served to help this role, other than a raw talent, is similarities between himself and the character he plays.
The director has laid out the plot well enough that you feel like you are reading a book. Jamal Wallace seems to tell the story of William Forrester (Sean Connery) from his point of view. It is intriguing how the events of Wallace's rise to fame illustrate the life of the main character, Forrester. If you are not paying attention, you may think that the story is about Wallace. For some people this may be a confusing point, especially considering the ending. There is a definite beginning, middle, and end to the story. However, the characters do not always reveal their motivations in obvious ways. That is where the implied similarities between Wallace and Forrester come into play.
I recently interviewed two filmmakers on the subject of film, and I realize that they see things differently. Someone with a bit more experience with films might look for flaws that are more technical. I tend to just go with the flow, so to speak, and judge a movie by how it made me feel. One similarity we have is that I look for a smooth story line. Corey Cluff, an independent filmmaker from Utah, suggests that the structure of a storyline can make the difference. "It has to have a beginning, middle, and end. If the story doesn't have these, the audience will be confused and, in consequence, lose interest." As that relates to the movie at hand, Finding Forrester has all three elements for the supporting character of Jamal Wallace. The structure collapses when it comes to the main character, William Forrester. That leads to Mr. Cluff's second point, that "the character(s) must be motivated to justify their actions." The plot blends Forrester's past, and Wallace's future, together so well that some audience members may not notice the subtle substantiation.
Despite the weak points in the structure of the film's story, I maintain that this is an intelligent movie. The relationship between Forrester and Wallace is unique. Their lives parallel each other so closely that they serve to teach each other lessons about themselves. As Skot Leach, an independent
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