honestly dont know why people recommend this as a film to romanticise school because its so much more!!! in fact seeing it as a film to encourage studying hard and academic performance is so incredibly ironic and im not quite sure if we even watched the same movie then because the main message of the film isnt about academia or grades or anything of that sort, but rather just Carpe diem; seize the day! honestly i think this was a film much needed by myself at this point in time and some of the scenes still stay with me even though its been months since i watched it..
similar to many other people, neils storyline was the part which struck me the most. for some reason i just got really emotional at the parts where he was interacting with his father and his whole struggle with consoling his wants vs his parents expectations. the plot twist got me so bad rest in peace neil. what stood out to me was not just how they portrayed his perspectives but also how you're also made to sympathise with his parents' grief when they find his body. it was so emotionally affecting because i was really rooting for him and had so much hope. in some ways i see myself in neil because i relate to his struggles of choosing between creative pursuits (which is truly what we both live for) and whatever conventional successes as defined by society. his story reminded me too of the number of artists and creatives out there whose work we never get to see because of similar societal pressures. of course this all just made it extra emotional and impactful
especially coming from a more traditional asian background and constantly being surrounded by more conservative n rigid stem students (LOL), it was so refreshing to hear keating talk about how beauty and poetry was the true meaning of life. i get it I Really Do and i think it was also a good reminder to keep on doing things that i love and have a passion for no matter the circumstances . besides all the messages brought across by the film i actually really liked the poetry they used in the script it was all so beautiful. the dialogue and production was just phenomenal imo i started crying when todd said “its so beautiful here” while looking at the snowy scenery and then started puking out of sheer grief man i felt that. cinematography and acting was very meaningfully done: a scene that comes to mind is at the end of the play, when neil is wearing the golden (?) crown sorry i forgot but what i remember is it made me feel so many things zzz i appreciate all the details they put in to make dead poet's society what it is. for me this film kinda feels like yearning and coming of age and nostalgia and all those things combined together. 5/5
- j