In some respects, I suppose the filmmaker was illustrating that disabilities can be overcome and that external or superficial aspects about people that seem to be serious disabilities often belie great talent and alternative types of awareness. From my perspective, that serious element or message of the film was largely undermined by the exaggeration of Forrest's accomplishments and by the endless list of his triumphs. The stereotypes that were addressed had to do with the inaccuracies of first impressions and with the incorrect assumptions that the disabled cannot be insightful or physically capable.
4. Images: Discuss how the story line included images in how the person(s) with a disability were portrayed.
One of the more poignant aspects of the film, especially in relation to the manner in which the protagonist benefited from the support of loved ones, had to do with Forrest's relationship with his mother and her constant spiritual and motivational presence in his life. Likewise, despite his apparent simplistic personality, Forrest was more adept at forming close relationships and at appreciating the love of others than many non-disabled people. Naturally, the plot as it unfolded, allowed Forrest to achieve incredible feats, but to this viewer, that actually detracted from the...
However, the straightforwardness and
honesty of Forrest's relationships and his genuine affection and loyalty to others were relatively unaffected by that element.
5. Class discussion: What has been discussed in class about people who are "different"?
Perhaps the most relevant connection to our discussions was the fact that some of the externally obvious manifestations of disabilities can often obscure other qualities about disabled individuals. Unfortunately, when we focus on superficial differences, we can easily overlook the core value of the individual, particularly where it is unaffected by obvious physical deformities. Except for the limitations (from my view) of the exaggerations, the film would naturally promote better understanding that disabled individuals still have a tremendous amount of human value to offer. To me, the unrealistic nature of the plot twists detracted from that somewhat.
6. Cultural Response: What did you learn about our culture's way of responding to people with differences?
I watched the film alone. The film reinforced the typical way that many people in
society react to anybody who is different in any way. I could not help but feel that even though Forrest enjoyed many quality human relationships, there was still something very solitary and lonely about his existence, although I recognize that I might have been projecting that based on my perspective of being in his
shoes and that the
character himself may not have had that experience at all.
