Nathan Schmidt Schema 1

Category 3: Entertainment

Nathan Schmidt

Now that my family is stuck in quarantine together, my parents saw it as a great opportunity to have a family movie night.  I was in no way opposed to this; I was only opposed to the movie options we were being given.  I had been told by a number of friends to watch the movie The Shawshank Redemption.  I had wanted to see it for a while and I thought that now would be a great time to do so.  My parents, however, were only interested in comedies.  "It's too depressing!" my dad, having seen it before, would say.  "We want to watch something lighthearted and funny!" my mom would agree.  After some convincing, though, we would watch The Shawshank Redemption.

This movie is ranked as the number one movie of all time, according to the IMDb (Internet Movie Database) rating scale.  After watching, I completely understand why.  For starters, my dad had completely forgotten the last 30 minutes of the movie, much of which was actually very uplifting and inspirational.  There were certainly depressing and disturbing aspects of the movie, but it ends with an optimistic feel.  It has since become one of my favorites of all time.

This movie follows a man, Andy Dufresne, portrayed by Tim Robbins.  Andy is sentenced to life in prison after being found guilty of murdering his wife and his wife's lover.  While in prison, he meets Ellis Boyd "Red" Redding, portrayed by Morgan Freeman.  The audience learns about the hardships, struggles, abuse, and optimism that Andy faces while at Shawshank Prison.  In doing so, it does not shy away from any disturbing content.  The movie delivers powerful messages about second chances, hope, the prison system, and simple joys of life.  One prisoner, for example, has spent most of his life at Shawshank Prison.  When he is finally released as an old man, he is unable to adapt to living a normal lifestyle.  He hangs himself in his hotel room, believing he will never be able to adapt to the outside world.

I would definitely recommend this movie to anyone who is looking for a powerful, meaningful film.  Both of my parents were left very satisfied with the movie, despite being hesitant to watch it in the beginning.  This is definitely one that I am going to watch some time again.