This past weekend, I watched Shawshank Redemption (1994, directed by Frank Darabont). The film is about two imprisoned men who bond over a number of years, finding solace and eventual redemption through acts of common decency. The protagonist is Andy Dufresne (Tim Robbins), a successful young banker who is sentenced to life imprisonment for the murder of his wife and her lover. Andy is sent to Shawshank prison, where brutality from both guards and other prisoners is commonplace. Despised at first by the other inmates because of his introverted manner, Andy slowly forges an unlikely friendship with Red (Morgan Freeman), a seasoned lifer and his gang. Soon, Andy also becomes popular with the prison guards, including the vicious Captain Hadley who offers him protection against the jail’s rougher convicts in exchange for financial counseling. The prison warden also takes advantage of Andy’s banking knowledge by exchanging privileges for creative bookkeeping. Over a twenty year period, Andy is able to maintain his sanity and dignity in prison not by physical force but by mental force. His smarts and confidence keep him going and he is able to teach the other prisoners that hope is the ultimate means of survival. He never stops believing in life’s possibilities, but to make the most of them he longs to be free. He burrows his way though 500 yards of human feces and finally escapes into the life he deserved to live.
It was interesting to observe Andy Dufresne and his relationship with Red. How can a man be so calm, collect, poised, persistent, far sighted, honest, and clever in such a confined environment over a 40 year period. The film was narrated from Red’s point of view, so his character was equally significant, as both men formed a humble and honest relationship over the years. The most climactic scene for me was when Andy rebelliously projects the Italian opera music out onto the wide prison public, and for a second, everyone regardless their societal labels or indecency, were all simplified and connected through their bare human instincts.
Most notably, the message of “hope” was one that stood out for me from the film. In a world where life can easily become so futile and frustrating, modest films like this truly gift us hope and encouragement. In recent months, I applied to a couple of job opportunities only to find that I was rejected from most. I was pretty discouraged at the end and saw no reason to try anymore. Even though I felt down for a bit, deep down I couldn’t bear the thought of giving up because I felt that I was letting myself down. Then out of nowhere came upon me a force of strength and foresight that allowed me recover and move on. I suppose this primal force – this type of intuition is called hope and without it or the belief that things will work out, I would not be where I am today, I would never cross boundaries or take risks.
Bad moments are bunch in life but we should never lose hope during these turbulent periods, or hope in others. As long as we don’t lose sight of our goals hope will arise and motivate us in ways we cant always comprehend. Hope is a peculiar one, it always has a way of intervening at both times of our darks and lights.
memorable film quotes:
– I have no idea to this day what those two Italian ladies were singing about. Truth is, I don’t want to know. Some things are best left unsaid. I’d like to think they were singing about something so beautiful, it can’t be expressed in words, and makes your heart ache because of it. I tell you, those voices soared higher and farther than anybody in a gray place dares to dream. It was like some beautiful bird flapped into our drab little cage and made those walls dissolve away, and for the briefest of moments, every last man in Shawshank felt free.
– There are places in this world that aren’t made out of stone. That there’s something inside… that they can’t get to, that they can’t touch. That’s yours. Hope.
– I find I’m so excited, I can barely sit still or hold a thought in my head. I think it’s the excitement only a free man can feel, a free man at the start of a long journey whose conclusion is uncertain. I hope I can make it across the border. I hope to see my friend and shake his hand. I hope the Pacific is as blue as it has been in my dreams. I hope.
hilitehead 
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