Good Will Hunting - Film
Gus Van Sant, 9/10
‘I’ve got to go see about a girl’
“It’s not your fault” – MIT Professor Gerald Lambeau posts an advanced mathematical problem on a blackboard outside a lecture room, hoping that one of many gifted students will be able to solve it. This problem took the professor himself 2 years to prove, but self-taught mathematician and janitor Will Hunting completes it as though it were a simple equation. When Professor Lambeau learns of Will’s intellect, he’s determined to help Will to make good use of his gift. However Will, being a lowly janitor, has lived a wild and chaotic past, finding it hard to leave his old life behind. With the help of ‘Sean’, a community college lecturer and old friend of Lambeau, Will begins to see change in his life – a change unwanted, but deemed necessary by others…
‘Good Will Hunting’ plays with emotion in every scene, evoking sympathy, awe and thought. In particular, the introductory scenes create a basis for Will’s growth, which is one of the reasons why his character feels so important and relevant to us. Matt Damon adds a feeling of authenticity to Will’s character and personality, especially because of Will’s defensive social contract with the people around him. To rephrase, Will as a character feels real and genuine because of the emotional imperfections that he has, which diminishes his social confidence and contrasts with his mental superiority.
The uniqueness of Sean and Will’s relationship lies in the fact that, though it is a counseling session, Sean doesn’t try to maintain a façade with Will. In comparison, the other counsellors tried to create a persona that Will could be comfortable around, and in the end, Sean’s authenticity was the most effective.
The reason why Will’s growth and maturity is so powerful and emotion-evoking is because of the stark contrast between Will’s personality before and after meeting Sean. That is to say that his relationship with Sean grows and matures with him, and so we feel a twinge of nostalgia in their final dialogue. Additionally, the denouement of the film, ‘Tell him sorry I’ve got to go see about a girl’, adds a feeling of satisfaction to the ending, which completes the full circle and emphasizes the impact Sean has had on Will’s life.
In conclusion, Good Will Hunting (9/10) is a thought-provoking coming-of-age film that explores the themes of growth and self-discovery through the life of mathematical genius Will Hunting, who has emotional imperfections shaped by a difficult past, that prevent him from adhering to basic social contracts. His growth and character-development evokes emotion and sympathy, ultimately displaying the importance of ‘letting people in’.
