As a lifelong movie lover, I’m always on the hunt for films that move me, inspire me, or simply make me think. But yesterday, after scrolling through a sea of recent releases that felt hollow, I decided to revisit an old classic: Forrest Gump. I hadn’t watched it in nearly 15 years, though I vividly remembered its iconic plot and a few key scenes. This time, though, I watched it with a different mindset—through the eyes of someone who’s now navigating mid-life, a time when existential questions like, “What’s next?” and “Why am I doing this?” seem to loom large. To my surprise, Forrest Gump offered more than just nostalgia—it offered unexpected insights into some of life’s most complex questions.

For those who haven’t seen the film, I urge you to watch it before continuing. What follows are my personal reflections on how Forrest Gump illuminated a deeper understanding of life.

The movie opens with an image so simple yet so powerful—a feather drifting aimlessly through the air, eventually landing near Forrest, played masterfully by Tom Hanks. Forrest picks it up, looks at it for a moment, and then tucks it into his book, as if it were something of value. This seemingly insignificant act captivated me. Why the feather? What did it mean? But then I realized, maybe it doesn’t have to mean anything. Forrest didn’t need a reason to keep it; he just wanted to. This made me think about the way we, as humans, constantl