Theme of choosing your own destiny

Rating: 9/10 (17 September 2017)

Forrest Gump, a comedy and drama film that takes people through history seeing the world through Forrest Gump's (Tom Hanks) eyes. A simple, optimistic, man, with a low IQ score sits at a bus stop as he narrates his flashbacks. It all begins from a young age when his mother, Mrs. Gump (Sally Field) taught him to choose his own destiny. Throughout childhood, Forrest spends his days growing up, going to school and running around with the love of his life, Jenny Curan (Robin Wright). As time progresses, and strangers come and go from the bench and Forrest narrates his experiences from joining the army in Vietnam and making friends with his shrimp- crazed friend, Bubba (Mykelti Williamson) to developing a passion for ping pong and meeting several presidents.
While getting to know Forrest's character, the theme of choosing your own destiny captivates viewers as they watch Forrest create his own history. The use of motifs and narration carry out the theme from the opening scene. The film opens up to a feather drifting aimlessly in the air, before landing on Forrest's foot. The feather, that appears again later in the film, is a motif that symbolizes Forrest as he aimlessly goes through life, creating his own destiny wherever the world takes him.
Retelling his life events, as he narrates the flashback scenes allows viewers to quickly pick up on Forrest's personality. Although his IQ score is low, it is clear that he is in fact very intelligent and chooses to see the good in situations. While Forrest may be saying one thing, his flashbacks give the audience more depth and layers to the plot. Special effects position historical characters throughout the film to uniquely communicate the passage of time.
As his life changes, he doesn't worry about a thing, other than his love for his long- time friend, Jenny. By not letting anything get in his way, Forrest keeps his mother's lessons in mind, and chooses his own destiny that makes you stop and consider what is truly important in life. The use of motifs, flashbacks and Forrest's narrating on the bench helps you fall in love with this simple character and his journey through life. All aspects of this movie are carefully thought out and allow the viewer to interpret and consider a deeper message, giving this film the ability to be comical, entertaining and thought provoking.