Redemption through Shawshank

I can watch this movie a million times (though so far, it’s perhaps been only 19 times), and still end up staring at the screen as the credits roll, wondering about the characters, their lives, and the amazing lessons one can learn from it. It’s no surprise that the movie has stayed at No. 1 on IMDB Top 250 for as long as I have been looking at that list.

Perseverance, Intelligence, Patience and Faith. All the qualities that are required in any human being to win and succeed can be distilled into these four major ones. Every other trait is a ramification (or a combination) of these. And that’s exactly where “The Shawshank Redemption” hits all the nails right on their heads. All four qualities are amply demonstrated throughout the movie by both the protagonist and the deuteragonist, leading to some amazing, unforgettable dialogues ever written and spoken on the silver screen (“They send you here for life, that’s exactly what they take. The part that counts anyways..”)

And while the numerous Oscar awards already confirm the brilliance of this masterpiece from a technical perspective (Best Cinematography, Best Music, Best Film, Best Actor, Best Editing), the greatest victory for the movie lies in its ability to actually change the mindset of the viewer until he/she is actually pulled into it and the final freedom of Andy leads to a sense of well-deserved redemption and freedom, goals which most of us keep seeking during the course of our lives.

When Red sets out on his final journey, every lump in my throat prays to have more of such movies created; ones that you can watch until you gladly lose count; ones that you would willingly give 11 stars out of 10, every single time; ones which make you wish you had more hours in the night...

And so, I can’t wait to watch it the twentieth time.  'Cuz after all, “hope is a good thing, perhaps the best of things, and no good thing never dies…"