My All American Hero's Journey

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People of all ages enjoy watching movies and are unconsciously transformed emotionally and psychologically. Life lessons can be taught or inspired through the stories of tragic main characters overcoming obstacles and searching for meaning in their life. Films can be conventional or unconventional in design. Each method of storytelling has different qualities associated with them. According to Bill Swanson’s chapter How Films Feed the Mind or When I’m Hungry, I Don't Want to Eat Candy, he defines conventional films as “feel good movies because they make the viewers more comfortable about themselves and what they believe”. (Swanson 318) Conventional films are distinguishable from unconventional because there are clearly defined good and bad …show more content…
In contrast in the same essay, Swanson further explains unconventional films as “we’re not sure who the “good guys” are or what the main character should do.” (Swanson 321) The viewer is challenged to come up with their own construction of the significance. Campbell’s tragic hero is commonly referred to as the hero’s journey, where the main character displays flaws that hinder their growth as they journey through many stages to overcome their biggest test in order to fully understand their problems and return to society. The idea of the tragic hero is ever present today in film. In the sports biopic My All American (2015) directed by Angelo Rizzo, the life of Freddie Joe Steinmark (Finn Wittrock) and his athletic accomplishments are shared along with his battle with bone cancer and amputation of his leg to end his promising football career. Throughout the film there is a clear and unwavering message of hope that demonstrates when things get difficult on the gridiron or in life, the importance of faith in oneself and in others is the defining moment. The conventional film My All American depicts the inspirational theme of never giving up, and tragic hero, Freddie Joe Steinmark, inspired more cancer research because he died so young and could have been saved if more knowledge on cancer was
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