“The Pursuit Of Happiness” Film Reflection

“The Pursuit of Happiness” is a biopic that tells of a man named Chris Gardner, a homeless salesman. Right after investing all his life savings in getting portable bone density scanners, which what was supposed to bring him riches, instead turns into his life assistance as numerous health-related industries felt no need for such healthcare devices. As economic burdens creep up on him in the method, it triggered him to drop both his wife and property. Even soon after landing as an intern for a brokerage firm, the job does not provide him any pay. Refusing to give in into financial hardships, he tries to give a much better life for him and his son by discovering various types of strategies to earn money. The director for this movie is Gabriele Muccino, an Italian film director that became a productive American film maker. This film is a biopic of Chris Gardner on his struggles of getting a homeless single father.

News about poverty are often unreported and even if it is covered, the severity of the scenario in these reports are often undermined. I have been in several voluntary functions and noticed the severity of such conditions, one particular of the experiences was becoming a volunteer to assist the neediest in Cambodia back when I was in Secondary 3. For that reason, I feel this movie is a perfect example to show the severity of men and women living in poverty.

The overall theme of this film is Poverty. I have selected this theme as the movie portrays the struggles of being poor with no financial aiding and the extent the father went by means of to offer meals, water and shelter for his son.

This movie reminded me of the past experiences operating my father, when I was watching the scenes exactly where Chris Gardner tries to sell his scanners by walking from door to door in medical buildings. These experiences made me really feel the tension and burden the job had on my father, till the point that my father ultimately fell ill from operating. Though my monetary background was far from what was portrayed in the movie, it nonetheless created me really feel the need to appreciate almost everything that he has provided to me, beginning from the smallest point like water and electricity. As a son to my parents, I need to repay what they have given me by operating hard in my studies and ensure that their efforts to uphold our family members will not be wasted. And as for my mother that has worked tough relentlessly for the past 18 years, just by mopping the floor in the course of my free of charge will support to lift her burdens. These little actions should be adopted by me as it will assist my parents greater cope the tension of raising a family. This film has also created me understand the value of time. As time is limited, it produced me feel the want to cherish the time I have with my household. Soon after watching the movie, I felt the need to go out with my family a lot more typically and talk to them rather than just staying in my room and play my games. Games can be stopped and played later, but the time with my family members ought to be cherished as they are limited. My experiences in Cambodia have made me better realize the severity of poverty. However, I typically discover myself waiting for my college to host such voluntary work and the thought of finding these possibilities for myself in no way really crossed my mind. There are a lot of men and women out there still that needed our support and joining voluntary groups in nearby neighborhood centers can help me to take my initial step into helping needy groups.

Poverty is a factor that someone is unable to financially help himself. Coming from a decent household, I have never ever felt the need to have to rely on government for economic assistance, nevertheless, scenes in the film when Chris attempted to get into a shelter for the homeless, but as an alternative it was discovered out to be completely occupied, genuinely gets me considering about the extent of the government in helping the homeless and the financially unstable households. I have often believed that America would be nearly totally free of poverty, due to the several television shows that I really like to watch that have portrayed America as a dream nation. Even so, a search in US Census Bureau identified that 15% of its men and women are living in poverty. Just like Chris in the movie, men and women in the US are living in poverty due to low wage incomes, with families of 4 earning less than $23,000 annually and half the jobs in America paying significantly less than $34,000 a year. To me, it was a surprising uncover, and I have realized that poverty in America has often been a challenging situation to repair unless decent wages are getting paid to aid these men and women. Additionally, poverty is not just an issue in America, but it is taking place worldwide. Linking back to my experiences in Cambodia, folks in Cambodia survives by way of agriculture which does not even provide a decent wage. Education technique in Cambodia is also undermined whereby only 37.1% of its folks can study, write and speak. Just like the scene from the film whereby Chris is asked to fill in his resume with his education status, and he mentioned that he didn’t need to have so significantly lines, today, there are numerous nations that are nevertheless lacking in education, countries such as Cambodia and China which contributes to the rise of low wage salaries due to insufficient jobs that pays decent wage salaries. For that reason, this film can be link to the poverty that in is present in today’s society.

As this movie is a biopic of Chris Gardner, the director’s intention is to tell Chris Gardner’s encounter in poverty. Even so, I feel that there is an underlying intention in the movie. Other than to show the extend parents can go just to supply the necessity for their kids, another intention could be that the director want to show that the determination of continually seeking for possibilities to succeed in life will outcome in life-altering opportunities to appear.

Based on the actual life of Chris Gardner, the costumes employed in the film are extremely relatable today, from people wearing formal clothes when operating to homeless folks wearing rugged clothes and pants. The make-up utilized in the movie are very subtle such as the homeless acquiring dirt and sand all more than their faces and arms which plays an essential role in depicting their social status.

The behaviors of the character in this movie are portrayed realistically just like the scene soon after Chris was hit by a automobile and left with him limping on his way to fetch his son from daycare. There were also subtle aggressive behaviors such as Chris and the homeless man fighting for the vacancy in the shelter. Chris also portrays a sense of nervousness that the manager called him up for a meeting that will make a decision his job.

As this movie took place in San Francisco, most of the scenes had been filmed on location which makes the film a lot a lot more realistic, just like the scene where Chris is chased by the taxi driver and run via a park to evade from him. The little confined space of the workplace gives a mood of stress and pressure when Chris was trying to sell bank accounts to his customers to get the upper hand in landing his job.

There were many props that play a significant part in the movie. The rubric’s cube was one the item as it plays an important function in impressing the manager so that Chris can get an interview for the job, which changed his life. One more prop would be the scanner, and its value can only be described as his only financial assistance for his family.

The diegetic sound in the film such as the splashing of water when Chris is bathing and the sound of door bashing when the father and son was sleeping in the public toilet makes the film really feel much more inclusive and realistic. Non-diegetic sounds such as the melancholic background music being played when Chris lost his scanner in the subway has an emotional influence on the viewers which helps the viewers to be engrossed in the movie.

When the Chris was in the shelter for the homeless, he attempted to study under the dim circumstances. The lightings in that scene were high in contrast which created the viewer’s concentrate more on him as compared to his surroundings.

When the father and son were spending the night in the toilet, the camera was zoomed in onto Chris, which the viewers can see the important information of shock and helplessness from Chris’ face.

The scene which the camera was pointing at Chris from the leading makes the viewer’s feel that Chris is vulnerable and helpless.

When Chris was operating away from the taxi, the camera was jerking, which makes the viewer’s felt like they were operating in the film.