Antwone Fisher

Antwone Fisher

Introduction

The movie, Antwone Fisher is a wonderful and thought provoking film full of symbolism, pain, and hope. Antwone Fisher takes the audience through a journey of various subsystems of communities: prison, orphanage, foster care, homeless shelter, and the Navy. However a community encompasses more than a system. Community is ever changing, evolving, and interacting with the needs of the people developing into their own. Communities are influenced by environment, political climate, and economy. We watch Antwone Fisher dream of his perfect family, and the need he has to make a connection with his past. However, the journey he goes through with the help of his Psychiatrist, Dr. Davenport and his girl friend Cheryl, is trying, sometimes turbulent, and full of pit-falls. Antwone reaches his own epiphany when he learns who he is, meets his family, and is able to trust others while overcoming his fear of rejection and abandonment. As I watched the events unfold through Antwone's eyes, I asked myself what specific influences kept him from turning to violence and crime on the streets. I find those answers by carefully examining the progression of events, Antwone's choices, positive influences, as well as looking at the meaning and symbolism behind the scenes (Antwone Fisher, 2003).

The first scene of Antwone Fisher sets the tone for the character development throughout the movie. Antwone stands in the middle of a vast field of hay and looks upon a white barn. The doors open and standing before him is a welcoming male figure extending his hand towards Antwone. No words are exchanged, but Antwone knows that now harm will come to him today. He walks through and another hand extends towards him: that of a woman. She has a warm smile and shows him to a huge feast, not only of food, but of family, history, and roots. The scene develops slowly, the colors are warm, the scale is large and surrealistic and it emphasizes the difference to his reality. He wakes up on a moving ship, small quarters, and the main colors in the scene are blue and gray. His decision to go into the Navy brought hope to Antwone of escaping his past, however only brought him closer to his anger and bitterness (American Counseling Association, 2005).

Discussion

It doesn't take much to enrage Antwone; any slight agitation, joking, disagreement or teasing throws Antwone into rage which usually leads to a fight. Even thought the Navy has a strict chain of command, customs, and expectations, Antwone doesn't seem to hesitate to cross them. After another altercation, the Navy Captain recognizes that Antwone has great potential but also sees that there is more to the reasons for his outbursts and requires him to see a Psychiatrist. Antwone is also demoted and given extra work. By the time Antwone chooses the Navy, it will be his fifth “community” that he has been involved with. The previous communities seem to diminish Antwone's feeling of self worth and identity. His mother was in prison when ...