Finding Forrester is about a boy named Jamal Wallace who is actually a very intelligent young man but is not accepted in the community where he is from. There is a man that is always watching him play basketball from the window above the basketball court he plays in. Jamal has to deal with people judging him just because he is African American thinking he is going to do something to them when in reality he is actually very smart and would not do that.Jamal goes into the man's apartment because of a dare his friends told him to do and accidentally leaves his backpack in their with his writing in there. When he retrieves it back from him the man had made comments in his books about his writing and Jamal went back asking him for more advice. The man told him to come back with 5,000 words on why he should stay out of his house in a more violent manner. The relationship between Jamal and the man is definitely strange in the beginning because the man is obviously upset he broke into his house but at the same time likes his writing.
Jamal gets asked to attend a private school for his test scores and basketball team. The man is also going over his writing and tells him he is surprised he is 16 and black and acting like he is racist when he is really just testing him to see how far he can push him. You can really tell by the man being mean to Jamal, he is really just testing him to try harder. He also has to live with his brother who is not helping the situation in any way by being a parking lot attendant. Jamal is introduced to a book in one of his new classes he is asked to do an assignment with. He later finds out that the book that is reading is by the man that has been helping him with his writing, William Forrester. Jamal tells him he knows who he is and they make a deal. Forrester tells him to keep it a secret of what he found out and Jamal says only if he keeps helping him with his writing and he does.
This movie does not only give lessons on writing but also on life. A boy from the Bronx befriends an older, wiser gentlemen that helps him through difficult times in his life. One quote I loved from the movie is when Forrester tells Jamal that you write the first draft with your heart and you rewrite with your head. I feel it really taught Jamal how to become a better writing and be a better person. The relationship begins to strengthen throughout the movie and it shows with how they act towards each other helping each other and bonding over watching TV together. I really loved this movie and everything I learned from it. It showed me how two different people can become so close and help each other out in so many ways. I also loved the message of diversity how an African American boy can bond with an old white man and he teaches him all of these writing strategies at the same time. It also shows how just because someone is an African American, that doesn't mean they cannot bond with white people in general. He not only creates a strong friendship with Forrester but also creates a strong relationship between him and a white girl at school. The strong bond between the two of them really inspired me to realize anyone can help someone out even if they are part of another type of ethnicity group.
