O Captain! My captain!

Rating: 8/10 (12 June 2016)

Sure, sometimes the movie is on the edge of kitsch but who would have thought beforehand that a movie with a teacher trying to inspire his students for poetry would turn out to be such a success. What's more, the movie has also turned the Horace aphorism "carpe diem" into a term that has found its way into modern language and is widely understood. One has to concede, however, that the movie does not deliver its original meaning, which is more about enjoying life as it is than shaping it to one's favour.
Usually I am not such a big fan of Robin Williams as I am not so fond of clowneries but in this movie, he, as Mr. Keating, was playing the unobtrusive part of his lifetime. This opinion apparently was shared by some colleagues from the show business who in their shows, on the occasion of Mr. Williams's death, climbed up a table just as Mr. Keating did in Dead Poets Society to demonstrate how the change of perspective can alter preconceptions.
Besides, the movie can also be seen as a didactic play on what effects a liberal or a strict education can have on teenagers. It will, hopefully open the eyes of all parents who are convinced to know best what is good for their kids without ever asking the kids what they want. The message of possible disaster, however, does not come across completely convincing since I could not quite understand why Neil felt so trapped since otherwise he was a self-confident young fellow.
Eventually, the movie also perfectly demonstrates how recklessly established systems react on outsiders who question this system and try to change it. In case of any occurrence that puts this system and its stakeholders at risk of lower outside acceptance, a scapegoat is quickly found and removed. By doing so the stakeholders count on the cowardice and fears of its dependents and unfortunately this calculation frequently pays off. So does it in the movie. The final scene with the students climbing up on their desks to demonstrate their solidarity with the scapegoat Mr. Keating makes a good ending but does not change the overall situation. It does demonstrate, however, that Mr. Keating's endeavors to encourage the students to become self-confident, non-conformist members of society have fallen on solid ground, especially with Neil's shy roommate Todd, the first one to stand up for the captain, Mr. Keating. Hence, not all is hopeless and changes for the better are possible
All these interesting aspects along with the many and so diverse coming-of age character studies of the classmates make it a movie definitely worthwhile seeing. Especially it is quite different from most other films.