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Movie Review- The Shawshank Redemption

'Redemption' means how a person achieves liberation from sins and evil nature. It gives a person second chance to start over again and move ahead in life by rectifying past mistakes. The path toward redemption involves a lot of self-determination, acceptance, responsibility, and action. 'The Shawshank Redemption' is one such movie that teaches a lot about redemption.

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Story-line-

Frank Darabont's 1994 American drama picture "The Shawshank Redemption" is based on Stephen King's book "Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption." The movie follows Andy Dufresne, a former banker who was incorrectly deemed guilty of killing his wife and her lover and given a life sentence at Shawshank State Penitentiary. The story also focuses on Andy's day-to-day activities and the thoughts of other convicts as they pass the time. The difficulty of serving a lifetime sentence in prison is also discussed in the film. The movie has strong characters and a plot.


Due in part to Andy's financial skills, which he uses to assist a lying Warden Norton with money laundering, Andy eventually gets the respect of both his fellow prisoners and the prison staff. He also provides educational programs for the prisoners and aids in the establishment of a prison library.

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Elderly prisoner Brooks Hatlen has served more than 50 years in jail or prison. He is given parole but finds it difficult to adjust to life outside of prison, feeling alone and cut off from the outside world. He eventually feels so helpless and hopeless that he considers ending his life. In a tragic scenario, Brooks hangs himself after writing "Brooks was here" into his room's ceiling beam. This depicts how a prisoner feels after entering the world back from a lifetime prison.

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Andy persists, though, and with Red's assistance, he eventually comes up with a strategy to flee Shawshank. The strategy included him utilizing a rock hammer that Red had smuggled into the prison for him to crawl via a tunnel he had excavated over the course of several years.


Red is finally liberated from prison as well after Andy's escape. He drives to a small Mexican coastal town as instructed by Andy and meets up with him there on the beach. Red muses on the value of hope and the potential for redemption, regardless of how challenging the situation may seem, as the movie finishes with the two friends hugging.


My favorite character-

My favorite character was Andy Dufresne, who is also the protagonist of the movie. He lived a very different life in jail and made the best out of the time he got, unlike other prisoners. He possesses the following traits:


1. Intelligence- Andy is a very smart and resourceful person. He assists the prison staff with money difficulties using his knowledge and expertise as a banker, which gains him favors and privileges.


2. Compassionate- Andy is a sympathetic person who treats his fellow prisoners with kindness and empathy. With several of them, especially Red, he develops personal bonds and offers support in a variety of ways.


3. Determined- Andy is very focused on his objectives and incredibly resolute. He spends years constructing a tunnel in the jail yard in order to escape, and despite challenges and disappointments, he never changes his mind about this goal.


4- Optimistic- Even in the face of the harsh realities of jail life, Andy maintains his optimism. He helps the other prisoners to find happiness and purpose in their life by sharing his passion for music and literature with them.

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Learning outcome from the movie-


The movie demonstrates how people may find meaning and purpose despite oppressive and difficult situations by building relationships with others and developing their inner strength. It also emphasizes the value of friendship, empathy, and understanding in overcoming stereotypes and cultural barriers. A lot of prisoners in the jail have been there for years but they do not lose hope and keep themselves positive. I have learned to stay positive and never to lose hope in any situation. It is all about how we react to a certain situation and the steps we take to overcome them. They are given books to read along with 'The Holy Bible' to understand and learn life. This tells us that it is important to have books and literature in our life to have a better flow of thoughts and learn more about life.


It is a deep movie and I strongly recommend everyone to watch it.

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