Timed Write: Finding Forrester

Becoming an outsider is something that many dread. Everyone wants to be accepted whether they are willing to admit it or not. Being an outsider can range from being different from another’s social class, race, or religion. It could even go as far as being depicted by what interests a person has that differs from someone else’s. The film, "Finding Forrester" defines what it is like to be taken out of one's comfort zone and thrown into a place of difference with little to no social acceptance and rejection which can have feelings of distress, failure, and loneliness. The film has also upheld in what I believe it would be like to be an outsider which is an understanding of the struggles we face when introduced to differences and change.

In the film, I realized that Jamal Wallace was in conflict with trying to hide his true identity. He maintained a C average in school but had magnificent skill in reading and writing, which was proved within his test scores. This can make a person feel like an outsider. He couldn’t be himself and had to seal his true identity in order to be accepted. The only time he ever felt comfortable relaying his knowledge was to people he didn’t know just so he could prove to himself that he indeed had smarts and abilities. An example of this was in the scene of the man who owned the BMW. He gave the man an intense history lesson to the owner who doubted Wallace because of his appearance. In the end Wallace proved that he was smarter than he seemed, but was still suppressed because he would never do so in front of his friends. A more obvious case of Jamal being an outsider was after he was transferred to the better school, he went to the basketball court where is friends were playing and was not invited to play. I believe that this was a specific scene in the movie that was used to create a sense of loneliness that a person feels when they become an outsider. This must have been a big blow for Jamal because he still wasn’t accepted into his new school and was now not accepted in his old group of friends. Jamal had many first-hand experiences in knowing what it is like to be an outsider.

William Forrester can also be considered an outsider. He was an outcast by choice and crated himself up in his apartment; never leaving the building and having others do his shopping for him. He never talked to people and was not friendly to Jamal at the beginning of the movie, using strong insults to hopefully send him away. He didn’t have any friends and rarely talked to anyone, trying to be non-existent it seemed. An example of this in the movie that showed he was not used to dealing with people was when Jamal took him to a ball game and lost him in the crowd. William completely lost control of himself and could not function because of possibly some disorder. I believe this scene in the film was specifically used to create sensitivity for the viewers to feel for William to better understand what it is like to be an outsider. William Forrester was an outsider but that of choice possibly because of some condition or a result of some other happening in his life.

The film "Finding Forrester" has upheld my own cultural understanding of what it means to be an outsider. I have been in the position myself in school to not be socially accepted and it was frustrating and sometimes depressing. It is a different world when one is not accepted and is a feeling of loneliness and not conforming to everyone's standards. Jamal Wallace was an outsider whether he liked it or not and tried to be accepted, and thankfully by the end of the movie won his new classmates over with his moving words. William Forrester was an outsider but by choice, but at the end of the movie broke out of his shell and wanted to become a part of society again. They both went through hardships in being outsiders but it proved to be worth it at the end. I will always have empathy for those who are struggling with acceptance and try to be as understanding as I can to become sympathetic to any situation. The film touched me and strengthened my understanding on what it is to be an outsider.

In the film, "Finding Forrester" a young boy becomes an outcast in a new school because of social class difference. Jamal Wallace struggles to become accepted in his new school as well as keep the friends he had in his old school, meanwhile fighting to keep his identity. William Forrester chose to be an outsider and did anything he could to keep from being social and accepted. The movie strengthened my understanding of what it is like to be an outsider because I can see that they both went through many hardships because of it. I would never want anyone to feel like an outcast and now I can be a little more sympathetic to someone’s situation. The film demonstrated a clear understanding of the struggle it takes being an outsider and trying to gain social acceptance.