Here, I will offer my feelings, rather than a pure review.
When the movie ended, I felt sad. I could relate to the teacher (played by Maggie Gyllenhaal) and felt sad that the boy's genius would disappear, unshared with the world. Clearly, the teacher had psychological issues and did inappropriate things in trying to share the boy's talents with the world.
If Mozart were not given the chance to make music or if Michelangelo were deprived his artistic expression, would you feel that the world was less enriched? If you could intervene and change that...
I felt sad for the teacher -- who lacked talent and desperately wanted meaning and validation in her life. I felt sad for the child -- whose parents were doing what they thought was best, but ultimately were prejudiced by their own worldview. I felt sad for the teacher as a mother -- as her children seemed very "normal," and she couldn't fulfill her passions through them.
At the end of the movie, when the police officer ignored that the child said that he had a poem, the viewer can see how most people only see or care about things that directly concern them, blinding them to treasures right in front of them, resulting in, this case, the loss of literary gems.
Perhaps because I have no talent in poetry, I could relate to the teacher even more.
When the teacher cheated on her husband, I felt sad, instead of shock or indignation. I felt her loneliness, her disconnection with her children, and the "settled," but not passionate, relationship with her husband.
One aspect that detracted from the movie (to me) was the boy's acting, which seemed artificial. But, I haven't met many child prodigies, so his performance may be spot on.
The movie is about us: we, in our own way, are crazy, self-absorbed, self-centered, desperate, self-righteous, searching for meaning-love-validation, etc. Desperation can drive any of us to do crazy things.
This movie is haunting...when we recognize that it is about us, whether we share characteristics with the teacher and/or some of the other characters.
When the movie ended, I felt sad. I could relate to the teacher (played by Maggie Gyllenhaal) and felt sad that the boy's genius would disappear, unshared with the world. Clearly, the teacher had psychological issues and did inappropriate things in trying to share the boy's talents with the world.
If Mozart were not given the chance to make music or if Michelangelo were deprived his artistic expression, would you feel that the world was less enriched? If you could intervene and change that...
I felt sad for the teacher -- who lacked talent and desperately wanted meaning and validation in her life. I felt sad for the child -- whose parents were doing what they thought was best, but ultimately were prejudiced by their own worldview. I felt sad for the teacher as a mother -- as her children seemed very "normal," and she couldn't fulfill her passions through them.
At the end of the movie, when the police officer ignored that the child said that he had a poem, the viewer can see how most people only see or care about things that directly concern them, blinding them to treasures right in front of them, resulting in, this case, the loss of literary gems.
Perhaps because I have no talent in poetry, I could relate to the teacher even more.
When the teacher cheated on her husband, I felt sad, instead of shock or indignation. I felt her loneliness, her disconnection with her children, and the "settled," but not passionate, relationship with her husband.
One aspect that detracted from the movie (to me) was the boy's acting, which seemed artificial. But, I haven't met many child prodigies, so his performance may be spot on.
The movie is about us: we, in our own way, are crazy, self-absorbed, self-centered, desperate, self-righteous, searching for meaning-love-validation, etc. Desperation can drive any of us to do crazy things.
This movie is haunting...when we recognize that it is about us, whether we share characteristics with the teacher and/or some of the other characters.