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, constantly seek meaning in everything. We agonize over the reasons behind every decision, every action, every relationship, and yet, sometimes, life doesn’t provide answers. Sometimes, we keep things or people in our lives simply because we want to. The simplicity of that feather reminded me of my own childhood, collecting random objects like stones or feathers—not because they had inherent value, but simply because they brought me joy. There was no deeper meaning, and maybe there didn’t need to be.
As the film progresses, we are introduced to one of the most famous lines in cinematic history: “My mama always said, life was like a box of chocolates. You never know what you’re gonna get.” It’s a phrase so well-known that it almost feels clichéd, yet it carries a profound truth. Life is unpredictable. It’s a series of surprises—some sweet, some bitter—but we have to take each bite regardless. There’s something deeply humbling in that realization, that no matter how hard we try to control or predict the future, life will always throw us curveballs. Like chocolates, sometimes we get a delightful surprise, and sometimes we bite into something unpleasant. But the beauty lies in the uncertainty. It’s that unpredictability that keeps life worth living, that keeps us hoping that the next piece will be better.
What struck me most about Forrest Gump, though, wasn’t just the moments of wisdom scattered throughout the movie, but rather Forrest’s entire ...
