Good Will Hunting

The movie I chose to watch was Good Will Hunting, directed by Gus Van Sant and starring Robin Williams and Matt Damon. This movie is focused on the character Will Hunting, a 20 year-old janitor at M.I.T who has an incredible gift for mathematics. He has had a pretty tough life, being given up for adoption at an early age and bounced from foster house to foster house. In many of these foster homes he was physically, mentally, and emotionally abused. Will recalls one foster parent making him choose between being beaten with a wrench, a belt, or a stick, having cigarettes being put out on him, and even being stabbed. Will frequently finds trouble with the law and has multiple charges against him for assault and grand theft auto. We also see him …show more content…
After reading the chapter about early school age, and also reading articles that focus on violence in childhood, Will’s actions throughout the movie make perfect sense. The article “The Impact of Violence on Children” by Joy D. Osofsky has a lot of information about how violence in childhood can affect children throughout their young and adult life. Studies show that nearly three million children are victims of physical abuse by their parents or caretakers. Familial violence results in negative effects on children’s physical, cognitive, social, and emotional development. Symptoms of exposure to violence include nightmares, clinginess to parents or caregivers, fear of natural exploring, distractibility, intrusive thoughts, and feelings of not belonging. In many cases it can also lead to increased aggression and violence. Trauma can also interfere with the normal development of trust. A link has been found between exposure to violence and symptoms of anxiety, depression, and aggressive behavior. It has also been found that as children get older, they are more likely to commit crimes, perform poorly in school, and to experience emotional, sexual, and alcohol/substance abuse