Culture

Classic Film

“It’s not your fault.” Four little words that blow Will Hunting’s mind and frees him from past traumas inflicted upon him by cruel external forces. Four little words that delineate the boundary between what you are and are not responsible for; four little words that define the concept of “you.” Good Will Hunting was neither the first nor last “mental health movie,” but it is definitely one of the most important.

The story follows Will Hunting, a Sheldon Cooper-level mathematical genius, but with Jake the Muss-level violent tendencies. His wicked foster parents beat him as a child, and as a result he lives eternally on the defensive, seeking to physically and emotionally ruin everybody he can before they have the chance to hurt him. Soon enough, this leads him into the justice system, which decrees that he must attend therapy. The late, great Robin Williams plays Sean the therapist, who is possibly the only person in Will’s world more damaged than himself.

Though young Matt Damon and Ben Affleck got a lot of the glory for their original screenplay, the real standout, of course, is Robin Williams. The “park bench scene” is famous for the inspired four-minute monologue he delivers in one take on the subject of knowledge versus experience. Will might be a genius, with a mind capable of performing great feats, but he has none of the experience of real life that makes Sean (or any of us) real people, and the acceptance of the good and bad experiences of one’s life that is the true source of one’s human power.

The other important scene that makes the movie great for me is when Will tells his best friend he doesn’t want to succeed, he just wants to slum around in poverty with his drinking buddies his whole life. His best friend (Affleck) tells him that if he is still here next year instead of working in some genius mathematician job for a high salary, he is going to fucking kill him. That’s love right there. Use your gifts!