Film Review: Finding Forrester

``FAMILY ISN'T always what you're born with sometimes it's the people you find, sometimes it's the people who find you,'' and this film which seeks to tell the story of a unique friendship and bonding with feeling and lack of melodrama, is worth filing away for a rainy day.

This gentle elucidation of the pursuit of dreams of a 16-year- old black boy from Bronx, Jamal and a reclusive, isolated Pultizer prize winning author, William Forrester is directed by Gus Van Sant. Coming in the genre of films such as ``Good will Hunting,'' and ``Dead Poets' Society'' its theme is still fresh and rather inspiring.

The film is in tones of browns, blacks, sepia, and all the natural colours that seem to signify the emotions, strong, yet matter of fact. The musical score that serves as the background is unobtrusive but ever so gently creates the foil for the tempo of this well-told story.

Backed by a screenplay (Mike Rich) that does not fuss over words but unfolds into a gripping tale without you even realising it, Columbia Pictures's presentation in association with Fountianbridge Films, ``Finding Forrester'' is something for aspiring writers and those in pursuit of excellence.He is the neighbourhood recluse, silver-haired and crabby (Sean Connery), whose existence borders on mystery and the mythical. And Jamal (Rob Brown) is the brilliant scholar athlete who is grabbed by an elite Manhattan prep school for his talents, on and off the basketball court.

One day Jamal, challenged by his friends sneaks into this isolated man's apartment and inadvertently leaves behind his backpack full of his writings. A turning point in both their lives it would seem because this is the point from where both look beyond skin colour, assumptions, forgotten dreams and aspirations and forge a friendship, most unusual and touching.

For Jamal it is an introduction to a fan par excellence, a mentor who tells him ``the first thing to do is to write with your heart - just write, and then you rewrite with your head.''

As for Forrester, Jamal and his aspirations are the first few reasons to emerge from his self-imposed isolation and reignite the dreams he realised in the winter of his life and before it became too late.

Forrester's apartment, full of dusty stacks of classics and the furious sound of a clicking typewriter, quickly becomes the place where the two writers meet, laugh, argue, learn and dedicate themselves to the one thing that irrevocably binds them - love for the written word.

Under Forrester's tutelage, Jamal injects new passion into his work and enters the school's writing contest. Forrester alongside his youthful protege finds himself re-awakening to the outside world he has shut off for 40 years.

As a story it is not so very unique - the theme of friendship is used very often perhaps not in the same combination. And someone (Prof. Crawford - played by F. Murray Abraham) putting a spoke in the progress of a person racially discriminated against is also not new. And as many Hollywood films veer towards feel good, almost utopian endings, that is not unusual either. But there is a special element in this film that takes it above all these - making it eminently watchable. And that is the performance of the artistes; their synergy and the way they go with the director's ability to deliver a story with the right degree of sensitivity.

The creative team of this film includes Harris Savides (camera), Jane Musky production designer, Valdis Oskarsdottir, editing, and Ann Roth, costumes.

CHITRA MAHESH

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Section  : Entertainment
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