Film Analysis: Antwone Fisher

The movie Antwone Fisher is about a young man in the Navy who has a history of violence. He had a rough life as a child, due to his father being killed and his mother being arrested. Antwone was born in jail, and grew up in the foster system, where he suffers physical, sexual, and emotional abuse. A runaway at 14, he lives in the streets until he joins the Navy. Antwone is sent to therapy after a run-in with another sailor on his ship, of which he is at fault. This begins the therapeutic journey Antwone embarks upon with Dr. Jerome Davenport. At first, Antwone does not want to open up to the therapist. They have clashing personalities, and Antwone is still prone to outbursts, violence, and a short temper. However, the therapist is eventually able to get Antwone to reveal the details of his abusive past, which allows him to make progress in treating Antwone’s deeper fear of abandonment, as well as his desire for a real family. Antwone changes throughout his therapy by opening up to Davenport, but he is still getting into fights. Through it all, he meets and develops feelings for a fellow Navy soldier, Cheryl. Davenport encourages this relationship, as he believes that by focusing on his feelings for Chreyl, Antwone will learn how to feel positive emotions …show more content…
However, in this case, it seems that the friendship Davenport extends to Antwone is the kind of therapy that he needs, as opposed to the traditional situation. Without Davenport, Antwone may never have opened up about his past to anyone, may never have explored his feelings for Cheryl, and certainly would not have found the inner strength to find his family and confront his past. These amazing strides were made due to the unconventional approach the therapist took with Antwone, so it makes