Liberation By Pen

So the school holidays have started and so that meant a vacation from work for me. Or at least in theory..... Nothing like inquiries from work about when you're going to get working to throw you off your down time....

Had a rather interesting Monday. Won't share too much of it here, rather than it was a day of mixed outcomes, planned or otherwise. Tuesday though was slightly more satisfying.

Woke up late as I normally do during these periods of expected inactivity. And after the usual routines of freshening up, I popped in this DVD I acquired a week or so back from my trip to Johor Bahru. One of ten that I purchased.

The title of the movie was Freedom Writers, starring more notably Hilary Swank and Patrick Dempsey. It was a movie that I've been aiming to get ever since I saw the trailers. Mainly because it was based on actual real life accounts of the struggles of youths in our twisted world, secondly was because it was a movie about writing and lastly but not least its a movie about the teaching profession. Now all this, if you haven't already noticed, are issues that I either hold close to my heart or are things I am involved in work-wise on a daily basis.

The movie didn't disappoint. The actors (those playing the teens included) were more than convincing. Add that to the excellent cinematography and editing and self-narration of each of the stories within this tale gives the show more impact. You have the usual moral dilemmas faced by the youths of today, peer pressure vs being an individual, survival vs doing what is right. More compelling is the way in which this tale is told, each journal entry interweaving and interlaced between the rest and with present occurrences. It was heartening to know there are those who do attempt and succeed at making a difference in the lives of others.

Needless to say this movie did loads to help boost my hopes for my own dreams.

To sum it up - Insightful, uplifting, inspiring and yet somehow extremely real. A definite must get if you are budding writer (like me), teacher or someone who works closely with the community.

Did a check on what happened to the real life persons of which this movie is based on and I'm glad to know that they are alive and well. More than that, they have formed the Freedom Writers Foundation that aims to help those that are caught up in the mess of a world we are in, much like they were.

Please click on the logo below to visit their webpage learn more about them or on how you can help......