Freedom Writers: A Movie Review

     Freedom Writers was released January 2007 and is one of the few movies that has truly inspired me.  Though it patterns on formula and cliché, it is still a reflection of the truth -- and the truth it tells is a story that's worth telling.  The movie poses a challenge for many of us:  to do what is right.  If you have a heart, this film will get to you.

The Plot

     An idealistic Erin Gruwell (Hilary Swank) is starting her teaching career at the gang-infested Woodrow Wilson High School in Long Beach.  Fated to teach a class of racially charged students who have been written off as failures, watch how she won their hearts and respect even in the face of animosity and discrimination.  Despite the initially hostile reaction and displayed indifference she received in the classroom, the English teacher didn't give up.  She persevered and used the writings of Anne Frank and Zlata's Diary to teach her students not only the English language but also about compassion, character, courage and life.  This inspiring movie is based on real events and an adaptation of Erin Gruwell's best-seller "The Freedom Writers Diaries." 



 Behind The Scenes

 
Favorite Parts

     Gruwell never lost faith in her students and it was cool when she asked them at the start of their sophomore year to toast for change.  She told the class:

 "From this moment on, every voice that told you you can't is silenced; every reason that tells you things will never change, disappears; and the person you were before this moment, that person's turn is over.  Now it's your turn." 

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       Another memorable part was when they've succeeded in inviting Miep Gies to be a guest in their class, a feat that have raised some issues in their educational system.  Gies is the woman who hid Anne Frank from the Germans, and she addressed the class when someone told her she is a hero:

"I am not a hero, no.  I did what I had to do because it was the right thing to do.  That is all.  We are all ordinary people, but even an ordinary secretary or a house wife or a teenager can, within their own small ways, turn on a small light in a dark room.  You are the heroes, you are heroes everyday." 

The Movie Trailer

My Thoughts

     Doing the right thing might sometimes mean our wounded pride, people getting hurt or loyalty being questioned -- but because it represents all that is right and true -- it should eventually feel right in the end.  It can be sad when life presents us with choices and the path that seem easier to take isn't the right path.  But no matter how hard the choices are, the challenge is to still choose to do what is right.  Let's also be thankful that there are people who are willing to go out of their way to reach out and help others.  They're not trying to be heroes, they're just doing the right thing.

     Watch this movie and see for yourself how a great cause and a big heart can turn things around, and even if failure might seem so final, it is not.  Let's give hope a chance.

     Thanks for dropping by and for reading this review.  Why don't you share with us your thoughts on the comments' section below?  See you all on my next wandering!

Jump to: My Favorite Movies Of All Time (coming soon!)

*More information about Freedom Writers from Wikipedia.
*Freedom Writers poster taken from Google Image search.
*Videos were taken from YouTube.