GOOD WILL HUNTING

Good will hunting is a movie that can be described as authentic, a movie that makes the audience feel immersed in its world. The film is written, directed and filmed in a way so similar to a true-life story it makes you wonder if these characters actually exist. The feeling of realism present is achieved through the film’s accurate portrayal of Boston working class culture, its emotionally honest depiction of the journey of growth while healing from trauma, and its realistic character relationships. Many may wonder how this feeling of authenticity was produced and how this can be replicated in the future films, the truth is it can’t. A look at the background of the writers of this film; Matt Damon and Ben Affleck reveals that this was there first successful production and prior to this they were unsuccessful actors. This produced circumstances that cannot be replicated, creating a film that’s almost written by the characters.

The first way the film achieves a realistic feeling is by the authentic portrayal of Boston’s culture, class and environment at the time. The film presents the working of Boston in a way that is not polished and pretty it is rough and gritty. Throughout the film we see settings that show the true nature of “the rough part of town” with many scenes early in the film taking place in bars, demolition job sites, or Will Hunting's janky home. Furthermore, the characters aren’t censored, there rough humour and strong accents depict that of the true citizens of this class and environment which is a reward of having actors that were so recently living in it. This allows the viewers to relate to or at least understand the situation of these characters. The movie does an excellent job of showing contrast between wills working class life and professor Lambeau's classical lifestyle. Early in the film we see excellent camera work fading scenes of Wills troubling making friends switching to Lambeau's classical jazz event as he wonders who solved the equation. This scene specifically shows the differences between these mathematicians and how unique Wills situation is. This results in viewers seeing Will as an outlier in rough Boston culture leaving them wondering how will this gap be concurred? This films portrayal of Boston through setting, dialogue and camera work results in such a realistic production viewers cannot help but to relate to the lives of these characters or at least understand them.

Another excellent aspect of this film that contributed to its authenticity is it emotionally honest depiction of trauma, fear and then the growth we get to witness throughout the film. As a viewer watching Will have such strong emotional walls and finally get them down is a journey that feels inspiringly real. Matt Damon’s excellent performance of acting out Wills reaction to trauma allows readers to think like Will would be, and to understand what’s going on in his head without ever saying it. The acting feels real and the reaction seems realistic; Will Hunting has experienced so much abandonment and abuse all his life as a defence mechanism he pushes everyone away before they get the chance to hurt him. At the beginning of the movie this is strong we see Will avoid any deep conversations and this results on him nearly missing out on some important relationships. But then as we see pivotal points acted out with such raw emotion and realism like Skylar and Wills break up scene or the “it’s not your fault scene” we wonder if this will open Will up. And in the end of the movie viewers have the privilege of witnessing Will complete a journey of healing so emotional and real we can’t help but cheer for, with the movie ending on a scene of Will opening and following his heart to Skylar. The excellent emotional performance of fear and trauma walls by Matt Damon and the well written character development in the heart felt journey of healing from trauma feels so real viewers feel like there watching a real story.

An Addition aspect of the film that exceeded in authenticity is Will Hunting's complex human relationships and how Matt Damon acted them. Throughout Wills journey of healing from childhood trauma and breaking down his protective walls many of his relationships suffered and then improved through this. One of the most prominent relationships in his journey was with Skylar. At the beginning Skylar and Wills relationship was lustrous with a clear connection between the two. As things got more serious Wills defensive walls began to surface with him avoiding calling Skylar and being dishonest. Wills internal conflict climaxes when Skylar asks him to move to California with her and Will lashes out running away from any commitment. This scene is acted out in such an authentic raw way that engages the audience as if they can feel the tension. This relationship is written and acted so emotional and realistic it contributes to an engaging film experience. Another realistic relationship is Will and Chuckies. Will and Chuckies relationship perfectly represents a blue-collar friendship in Boston, its rough, it’s humorous and its unpolished but in the end under all the the abuse there’s loyalty. From the brawl to the twenty first birthday gift and especially from the tough love speech we see Chuckie display the upmost loyalty to Will. This friendship is an aspect of the film that is real, it leaves the viewers feeling inspired how friends who want the best for you can lift you up and help you succeed using what feels like a real-life blue-collar example. All of Wills relationships are acted with real authentic emotions allowing the audience to feel the tension firsthand.

A final part of the film that contributes to the authentic feel of the movie is Sean’s complex relationship and how his character is applied so consistently in them. Sean’s character is patient, honest and values real world experiences and Robert William makes sure this is consistent in each relationship. One relationship that Robert William applies Sean excellently is with Will. From the beginning therapy scenes feel real, we can feel the tension in the room as Will tries to get under Sean’s skin and we quickly see Sean’s weakness. At the Lake scene we clearly see Sean’s morals and character reveal itself with honesty as intended, Sean doesn’t value book knowledge or math awards, he values real life experiences and relationships. We see Sean and Will beginning to trust and enjoy the presence of each other as they begin to ironically council each other. In the end we see their relationship shift from required to wanted in a way that shows every part of the journey not just the positive aspects. Another complex relationship of Sean’s is his with professor Lambeau. Old friends turned rivals we see a conflict with resentment, jealousy and two individuals with different values. We see Sean’s character acted out passionately and accurately to what he classifies as important. The two often clash over Wills future as Lambeau values contribution to the math community where Sean values real life experience and submitting to love. We see this relationship acted out sharply with many realistic scenes clearly outlining the characters opinions and motivations. This leaves viewers with an excellent understanding of the characters. Sean’s relationships clearly reflect how the actual character would interact and express himself with excellent authenticity.

Matt Damon and Ben Affect created a film that is completely unique and authentic due to circumstances that are uncreatable. These two unsuccessful actors' lives were so similar to the characters lives that the outcome is excellent, a film that feels so real and as if viewers were following along with the characters in their world. This is one of the most important part of a good film when you are truly enthralled and emotionally invested with the characters journey. The film feels authentic because of the film’s accurate portrayal of Boston working class culture, its emotionally honest depiction of the journey of growth while healing from trauma, and its realistic character relationships. In the end these two unsuccessful actors produced an excellent film that resonates because it represents real individual struggle written by individuals who were struggling.