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Our lives are full of ups and downs. From the seemingly petty and minuscule problems of our youth, to the deep-seated frustrations and serious life-changing situations of our adulthood. Through most of those issues, we are left with mainly two choices: wallow in the despair and hopelessness of the situation, or embrace the hope that things can change AND work towards that change. That's the core philosophy that I always get from this film, my favorite of all-time.
Starting in the late 1940s, The Shawshank Redemption follows Andy (Tim Robbins), a banker that is wrongly imprisoned for the murder of his wife and her lover. After being sent to the brutal Shawshank Prison, he befriends long-time convict Red (Morgan Freeman), as the two develop a friendship that would alter the course of both of their lives.
To those that have known me before MoFo, my love for this film is probably widely known. Ever since I first saw it back in the mid-1990s, while going through some "petty" romantic frustrations of my teens, the film instilled in me that philosophy I mentioned in the opening paragraph: I could wallow in my frustrations and get stuck where I was, or I could assure myself that things can change, and move towards that. "Get busy living or get busy dying".
As juvenile and inconsequential as my issues at that moment might've been, I've pretty much made that my philosophy of life against any life problems and situations I've faced since. From health issues to economical problems, from career frustrations to more adult relationship situations, I always try to embrace the hope that things can, and will change, and get busy working for that.
After rewatching the film for the gazillion time a couple of days ago on my birthday, 25+ years after the first time, I can say it remains as magical, profound, and meaningful to me. Not only is it masterfully directed and shot, but the honest and endearing performances from Robbins and Freeman are always moving, always affecting; a testimony of how, yes, a friendship, but also your own actions and attitude towards life can help keep you alive, hopeful, and free.
Grade:
THE SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION
(1994, Darabont)
Birthday freebie
(1994, Darabont)
Birthday freebie
"Remember Red, hope is a good thing, maybe the best of things, and no good thing ever dies."
Our lives are full of ups and downs. From the seemingly petty and minuscule problems of our youth, to the deep-seated frustrations and serious life-changing situations of our adulthood. Through most of those issues, we are left with mainly two choices: wallow in the despair and hopelessness of the situation, or embrace the hope that things can change AND work towards that change. That's the core philosophy that I always get from this film, my favorite of all-time.
Starting in the late 1940s, The Shawshank Redemption follows Andy (Tim Robbins), a banker that is wrongly imprisoned for the murder of his wife and her lover. After being sent to the brutal Shawshank Prison, he befriends long-time convict Red (Morgan Freeman), as the two develop a friendship that would alter the course of both of their lives.
To those that have known me before MoFo, my love for this film is probably widely known. Ever since I first saw it back in the mid-1990s, while going through some "petty" romantic frustrations of my teens, the film instilled in me that philosophy I mentioned in the opening paragraph: I could wallow in my frustrations and get stuck where I was, or I could assure myself that things can change, and move towards that. "Get busy living or get busy dying".
As juvenile and inconsequential as my issues at that moment might've been, I've pretty much made that my philosophy of life against any life problems and situations I've faced since. From health issues to economical problems, from career frustrations to more adult relationship situations, I always try to embrace the hope that things can, and will change, and get busy working for that.
After rewatching the film for the gazillion time a couple of days ago on my birthday, 25+ years after the first time, I can say it remains as magical, profound, and meaningful to me. Not only is it masterfully directed and shot, but the honest and endearing performances from Robbins and Freeman are always moving, always affecting; a testimony of how, yes, a friendship, but also your own actions and attitude towards life can help keep you alive, hopeful, and free.
Grade: