An Amazing Experience

Rating: 10/10 (3 March 2014)

It's been 15 years since I watched this movie for the first time. Back then, in my youth, several aspects of this movie made me think a lot: the value of true friendship, the injustices in life, the importance of not giving up on your dreams and, the most powerful of all, always have hope and make your thoughts and actions rely on that hope. I also remember thinking that, while some characters got what they deserved, others were wronged in a way that annoyed me too much. That was the reason that I liked but not loved this movie in the first time.
After that first time, I watched this movie at least another five times. Today, 15 years later, I can say that the injustices in the movie are not only bearable but also completely necessary. This is the real magic about this movie: you can find good in murderers, evil in wardens, friendship in a deceitful place, justice in injustices and hope in despair. Those ingredients are responsible for making this story so believable. This movie is capable of captivating the viewer through the natural bond created with the protagonist, in such way that, in the end, when everything went to despair, the viewer learns that hope is the only thing that anyone should not abandon. Yes, this movie is a true masterpiece.