"It's easy for us to be victims of our surroundings and continue to feel sad, scared, or angry; alternatively, we can choose to deal with injustice in a humane way, breaking the shackles of negative thoughts and energies and not allowing ourselves to get caught up in it." —Elling Glowwell, The Diary of a Freelance Writer
Everyone deserves a second life, people are not always what they seem to be, and just because there is a painful past, it means that they do not deserve a bright future. The movie "Free Writer" proves that sometimes people with the worst past create the best future.
Adapted from the true story of Eileen Grouville and her freshman class in 1994, Free Writer tells the story of a teacher who changes the lives of his students and leads them down the path of justice and piety.
Eileen Glowwell, an English teacher at a racially discriminatory school in Los Angeles, was assigned to teach a class of bad youth. They are considered incapable of learning, with some students forced to attend school by the government and some on the verge of dropping out. Others witnessed their parents brutally murdered by the police, while others spurned their lives in poverty.
Throughout the film, we learned about each character's story, and we understood the reasons behind their anger and hatred. We learn about their past and analyze the ways they grew up in poor families. "Free Writer" is a film that will touch your heartstrings, teach you to distinguish between right and wrong, make you believe that if there is cruelty in this world, there is happiness; there is crying, there is laughter, you just need to stick to a faith, keep a strong hope for the future.
In the film, just as the students are about to give up, Eileen Grouville ignites a spark in the hearts of the students, causing them to start planning their future and becoming interested in learning. While encouraging students to keep a journal, Eileen gave each student a book that they could use to connect with their own lives. By gaining their trust and respect, she uses her unique teaching style to better understand them and educates them about the importance of learning. The students kept diaries every day, and later their diaries were compiled into a book called The Freelance Writer's Diary.
"No matter what race we are, what ethnic background we are, what sexual orientation we have, or what views we hold, we are human beings. Unfortunately, not everyone thinks so. —Elling Glowwell, The Diary of a Freelance Writer
Certain songs and movies will occupy a special place in the cracks of our hearts, and no matter how many years have passed, a part of our soul is connected to the song or movie. What touches people about Freelance Writer is that it embraces different religious beliefs, nationalities, languages, and origins, inspiring viewers to embrace their true identities.
Watching this film makes people realize that as human beings, we may be victims of the environment, but that doesn't mean we should suffer forever. Even in the darkest days, in the darkest nights, there is still hope, and even the impossible can be achieved with firm conviction.
"Freelance Writer" tells the audience: It doesn't matter where you come from, or how you used to be, if you have the willpower to be a better version of yourself, change yourself, and make life better, then you can make the right effort, commitment, and dedication like in the film.
If there's one thing that Free Writers taught us, it's that the world can be a cruel place. However, if there is a person in our life, even a person, who is trying to understand us and teach us how to live in a good way, we can try to listen,
The story of the film is not fiction, it's not the story of a minority living in a slum, it tells the story of almost every young man of color who suffers some form of racism or discrimination in their own lives, and it's a story of young boys and girls, like you and me.
How positive our society would be if it spent more time cultivating the morality of young people than spending their time on money and property. Young people, they need attention, they need guidance, they need support. If someone can give them some of the necessary advice on how to live in a healthy way, we can raise emotionally more stable individuals rather than adults driven by scorn and profit.