Summary

Rating: 9/10 (16 April 2015)

This Film is one that has stayed at the top of my list since I first watched it in 2002. It contains humor, joy, sadness and irony. All of which play with the viewer's emotions. The main theme is about individuality and non-conformity. It is very easily relatable because of how dark and personal the plot gets throughout its entirety.
Early on in the film when Mr. Keating is introduced as the student's teacher he teaches them the meaning of "Carpe Diem." This is what starts to pull the boys out of their comfort zones. At the all-boys school some of the students have predetermined careers from their parents. So when they learn what it truly means to seize the day they feel the unforgettable taste of freedom.
Standing on the desks, ripping pages out of books and calling the teacher "Oh Captain, my Captain" are all activities outside of what the boys are used to. At first they are surprised by it but then they learn that they don't have to always be held down by their parents or rules. This becomes even more apparent when they revive the Dead Poets Society that Mr. Keating was involved in years before when he attended the same school.
With this new found freedom they all explore poetry and song which in turn interests on of the boys, Neil, in auditioning for the school's production on Midsummer Night's Dream. His father does not approve of his son pursuing a career in acting or any other similar profession. After the play, his father drives Neil home and lectures him about how Medicine is the only career Neil will have and then says he will be put into military boarding school and eventually go to Harvard. This leads Neil to commit suicide with his father's pistol.
Of course Neil's father doesn't blame himself but blames Mr. Keating and he is then fired from the school. This is alright though because over the time of his teaching, he taught the students to be individuals. They have paths already lain before them but they can make their own path and not conform to the rest of society. It is more important to be happy and do what you love than to just go with the flow.