"Big Fish"

I heard this movie was good when it came out, but for some reason I never got around to seeing it. Basically, it's about a 30-something American guy, living in France and about to have his first child with his French wife. His father told him fantastical stories about his own life when he was a young boy and even into his adulthood. Now as his father is dying, he doesn't know his own father and what to believe about him.

Though the movie mostly shows the events his father described, such as a town no one ever leaves, a sheep-stealing 15 foot giant, and impossible feats in war, it touches on a much more beautiful subject. I think that the real meaning of the movie is about our relationship with our parents, and the importance of having a close one even after we're out of the house and gone.

The main character, Will Bloom, goes the whole movie wanting to know the truth about his father's past, the truth behind the stories of werewolf circus leaders and catching the uncatchable giant catfish. But more than anything, he feels his father is a stranger, a close stranger. I am glad that I don't feel the same way, and I think it shows us the importance of working towards a closer relationship with our parents, not just letting them build it, but doing some of the work ourselves. He finally realizes that his father has shared his life with him the way he knew how. It was now Will's turn to accept it and work towards a closer relationship with his father.

Like I said, I loved this movie. Not just for the outward tall tales and myths, but for the poignant meaning lying underneath the main script.