*** SPOILERS WITHIN ***
*** SPOILERS WITHIN ***
*** SPOILERS WITHIN ***
I just returned from this movie, and I can say without a doubt this is one of the most thought-provoking films I have seen, not just about the death penalty, but about other things: the strength of people's beliefs, how far they're willing to go to achieve them, how they want to be remembered, what qualifies as a "good" life, and most importantly the choices we make in life.
People who come out of this movie seeing this as merely a piece against the death penalty are missing out on the deeper issues within this film. The issue of the death penalty, while certainly an important one, is not what this movie is about. This movie is about the things previously mentioned.
In the film, David Gale is a philosophy professor and in a flashback we see him before he is on death row, giving a lecture to his class. He says that one's life is not about his or her dreams, but about the choices made, moments which show true character. And later on, we see how one choice, a moment of weakness, can ruin all those that came before and set in motion everything else that follows.
The thing which most impressed me was the strength of Mr. Gale's beliefs. To sit on death row for six years, knowing what he knows, and to remain silent all that time, knowing the consequences if he speaks. That more than anything is a testament to the conviction of his beliefs, a conviction that I know I don't have.
I just saw this film, and I was so impressed and moved that I'm considering seeing it again. This is a movie that will stick with me a long time.
*** SPOILERS WITHIN ***
*** SPOILERS WITHIN ***
I just returned from this movie, and I can say without a doubt this is one of the most thought-provoking films I have seen, not just about the death penalty, but about other things: the strength of people's beliefs, how far they're willing to go to achieve them, how they want to be remembered, what qualifies as a "good" life, and most importantly the choices we make in life.
People who come out of this movie seeing this as merely a piece against the death penalty are missing out on the deeper issues within this film. The issue of the death penalty, while certainly an important one, is not what this movie is about. This movie is about the things previously mentioned.
In the film, David Gale is a philosophy professor and in a flashback we see him before he is on death row, giving a lecture to his class. He says that one's life is not about his or her dreams, but about the choices made, moments which show true character. And later on, we see how one choice, a moment of weakness, can ruin all those that came before and set in motion everything else that follows.
The thing which most impressed me was the strength of Mr. Gale's beliefs. To sit on death row for six years, knowing what he knows, and to remain silent all that time, knowing the consequences if he speaks. That more than anything is a testament to the conviction of his beliefs, a conviction that I know I don't have.
I just saw this film, and I was so impressed and moved that I'm considering seeing it again. This is a movie that will stick with me a long time.