"Some people can't believe in themselves until someone believes in them."
Director: Gus Van Sant. Starring: Matt Damon (Will Hunting), Robin Williams (therapist Sean).
What is the film about? The film follows an intellectually gifted (especially in mathematics) young man on his journey to authenticity and choosing his own path in life.
Psychological overview of the film.
Will Hunting's childhood. Will is an orphan raised in a poor Boston neighborhood. His stepfather abused and tormented him as a child. He was deprived of parental love, a sense of predictability and security, fair treatment, and close trusting relationships. ("Why does he hide? Why doesn't he trust anyone? Because he was abandoned by the people who were supposed to love him more than anyone else.") From an existential psychology perspective, these conditions shape a child's basic trust in themselves, the world, and life. These same conditions contribute to the formation of a child's basic trust in themselves and the world.
Teenage and young adult years. Bitter and hardened, Will spends time with his friends, who live similar lives and have replaced family for him, ready to give their lives for him. ("Why does he hang out with these idiots? Because any one of them would take a bullet for him. That's what loyalty is.") He leads a self-destructive lifestyle, has multiple run-ins with the law, but this is his "world," one that is familiar and predictable. In his life and world, there is no one or nothing that challenges him. There is nothing new to question his "virtual world." Thanks to his genius intellect, Will has encyclopedic knowledge in various fields: literature, history, law, and especially mathematics. Unconsciously, he feels a desire for something more than just being a construction worker. That's why he takes a job as a janitor at one of the world's best universities, where, while working, he solves an incredibly complex mathematical theorem that had taken his professor and colleagues two and a half years to crack. This draws the attention of the professor, who is stunned by Will's mathematical abilities. When Will commits another offense, the professor gives him a choice: prison or therapy sessions and math classes. This is where Will's journey to himself begins.
During therapy, the following issues are revealed:
- Avoidance of close relationships that require openness and trust, so Will pushes away those close to him (his girlfriend), fearing they will abandon him. ("He pushes people away before they can think about leaving him. That's a defense mechanism. Because of this, he's been alone his whole life. It'll happen again and again. I don't want that to happen to him again.")
- Will's reality is overly intellectualized. This is a defense mechanism against a threatening reality. He has created a "perfect world" for himself, one where he is ideal in his own eyes. ("If I ask about women, I'm sure you'll give me a list of your preferences, and maybe you've even rolled around a couple of times. But you won't tell me what it's like to wake up next to a woman and truly be happy... If I ask about love, you'll recite a sonnet, but you've never looked at a woman and been completely vulnerable." And also: "For me, she's perfect. I'm afraid of ruining that." — "Maybe you're perfect right now. Maybe that's what you're afraid of ruining?")
- His relationship with the therapist, who himself recently experienced the loss of his wife and is still not fully recovered. A relationship built on openness, trust, faith in a person and their own strength, and the belief in everyone's right to make their own choices. ("If a patient isn't sure they can trust you, they won't be honest with you. Then there's no point in treating them. That is, if they don't trust you, you'll never sleep with them. And that should be the goal of any therapist.")
Existential choice. Thanks to his relationship with the therapist, Will is able to recognize and experience the guilt that children often take upon themselves, even when they are not to blame. It's not Will who is broken; it's his stepfather, who took out his anger on the child. After experiencing and recognizing this guilt, feeling the therapist's trust and faith in him, Will comes to realize and experience himself as "I'm okay," and in him, the long-forgotten basic trust in himself and the world is reborn. He accepts his abilities and his desire to do something more than just breaking walls on a construction site. Now, Will is able to make a choice based on his own values, without striving to meet society's expectations. ("Sean, if the professor calls about that job, apologize for me. I've decided to go to my girlfriend. — Will")
Enjoy the movie.
