Member review

"Finding Forrester" is a heart-warming tale of creativity, acceptance and identity, featuring brilliant performances and a compelling story.

Sir Sean Connery is fantastic as William Forrester, a reclusive author who forms a unlikely friendship with Jamal, a teenager who has a talent for writing, his performance made more poignant by the fact that "Finding Forrester" was one of his last appearances before retirement.

Rob Brown, who plays Jamal, perfectly balances his character's intelligence with his reluctance to stand out.

Jamal is a very relatable character. Many people feel that they have to dumb themselves down in some social situations so as not to stand out from the crowd. He also deals with racism and social snobbery.

The film excellently sold the relationship between the two of them, making the humorous and emotional scenes more powerful.

Interestingly, this film was written by Mike Rich, who also worked on "Cars 3", which parallels this film's plot in many ways. A talented veteran trains a younger, enthusiastic protégée whilst reflecting on his life.

The cinematography was spectacular, the colour palette was muted in certain scenes to enhance the mood; the colours on screen presented particular emotions. For example the green hue in one sequence represents envy, money and power.)

The only issue that I have with "Finding Forrester" is that it is very similar to Gus Van Sant's 1997 film "Good Will Hunting."

Overall, I really liked this film. It was inspiring, funny and surprisingly heart-felt.