Impact of the movie ‘Life is Beautiful’ on me

The expression of creative skills of humans using any visual form can be considered to be an art of work, whereas activism is about working to bring about any political or social change.

This is a personal essay where I share my life experiences and the impact the movie ‘Life is Beautiful’ had on me when I was going through the most difficult phase of my life.

For a big part of my life, I was surrounded by people who would always find faults with me, rather than encourage me or see the good in me. When I was a child, people always felt that my other siblings were much smarter than me; over time my interest in studies started waning and I had to quit my studies midway. Even as an adult, I faced a lot of issues; I had a troubled marriage which ended up in a bitter divorce. It was a phase when it seemed that everything around me was falling apart.

It was on the recommendation of my friend that I watched the movie Life is Beautiful (1997 film), directed by Roberto Benigni. The movie is about a Jewish librarian who, along with his son, become victims of the Holocaust, but the Jew uses his imagination, will and positive attitude to protect his son from the dangers that lurks in their camp (IMDb, 2000). The main protagonist in the film is inspired by the book of Rubino Romeo Salomoni, an Italian Jew who fortunately survived the concentration camp; he shared his horrific experiences in the book “In the End, I Beat Hitler” (Silverman, 2011).

Until I saw the movie, I always felt that it was only the Indian society that least bothered about human dignity, be it belittling people based on their looks, intelligence, caste, or discriminating against women in society. However, the movie made me realize that there are many societies where human dignity is not valued.

The movie had a lasting impact on me, and for me, what particularly stood apart in the movie was the beauty of humanity, especially when horrific crimes were being committed against humans. This was the time when I was trying to get a grip over my life. I was not sure about a lot of things; I was not in the right frame of mind back then and was trying to look for a greater purpose in my life.

The entire movie is a nice lesson on the philosophy of life. It made me look at life from a new perspective, and it offered several lessons for me. The movie made me realize the importance of maintaining a positive attitude and to smile often, even if things around you seem to be crumbling. It also made me realize the importance of not giving up. In the movie, for the protagonist, giving up and was not an option at all, and he was constantly trying to solve problems instead of brooding too much over how dismal the circumstances around him were.

The movie also made me realize that there is always something that a person is good at, and there is always something good to look forward to. It made me realize that I still had a long way to go, there was still ample time for me to accomplish things that matter to me. So, there were things to be happy about despite the difficult circumstances.

I had left my studies mid-way and I thought it was the best time to get started once more and start rebuilding my life. I finished my graduation, picked up a job and am now pursuing a management program in HR.

While I am pretty much clear about what I wish to do professionally and have a plan for it, I want to use several learnings from the movie for my own development as a person. After all, I also want to become a better human being, and I feel this movie offers the perfect lessons for such people.

In the movie, one gets exhausted watching the protagonist go through his arduous day at the camp, and yet, every-time he speaks to his son, he makes him laugh and makes him feel that the world is a much better place to live. The manner in which the protagonist finds ways to endure hardships and yet spares his child from those sufferings presents a learning to every parent. Also, similar to how the protagonist in the film strives to protect his son from the horrors of the concentration camp, I want to shield children from the negative influences in society and want to help them become more confident persons who are willing to follow their path in life if required, despite what others feel about them.

References

• IMDb (Sept 2000). Life Is Beautiful (1997).
• Stephen M. Silverman (July 2011). Rubino Romeo Salmoni, Real Life Inspiration for Life Is Beautiful, Dies. https://people.com/celebrity/rubino-romeo-salmoni-real-life-inspiration-for-life-is-beautiful-dies/

Requirement

Write a short reflective story in 850-900 words about a significant experience in your life where you were impacted by art that raised awareness about a social issue. In the introduction, be sure to define art and activism based on your own understanding of the terms.

You may wish to focus on one event or a few events from your life. You may reflect on any form of art including but not restricted to: a song/concert, a poem, dance/theatre, martial arts/sports, a movie, a book/short story, an illustration, an advertisement, a monument/architectural form, street art, a public mural, graffiti, art housed in a museum or gallery, spiritual/religious iconography or more. In other words, you are free to pick the art form to reflect upon (you can also reflect on art that you have created). Include the names of the artists if available to you. Offer some detail also regarding the geographical location and time period pertaining to the artistic creation(s).

Proceed to discuss a few of the questions offered in this section. You can insert your own guiding questions too.

1. What messages did the art forms convey to you?
2. What did you learn about yourself through the encounter(s) with art?
3. How were your thoughts and emotions impacted?
4. Did you become curious about a subject, concept, or form of artistic expression?
5. Further, where were you in your life at the time?
6. Who were the people in your life?
7. What were some of the challenges/growth that you were experiencing?
8. Did you come to any new realizations regarding yourself, society, or the world?

This assignment requires that you write clearly, concisely, and descriptively. Be aware of your usage of grammar. Aim for an authentic tone of voice as your relay your story. Be sure to illustrate your thoughts with detailed examples and vivid imagery.

Further, you are able to use first person voice or you can choose to have a fictional narrator tell your story. You have creative license to fashion the story following any structure/order that you deem fit (as long as the guiding questions are generally addressed).

This assignment does not require that you use secondary sources. If you do make references to other sources, keep this brief (a few short quotations only) and make sure that you include proper citations following APA and MLA guidelines. Remember that this assignment is about your story and as such, you are to primarily draw from your own life experiences.

Additional requirement: Please attach an image to your story. This image should capture some of the broader themes of your story. It can be an image of an inspiring art piece, a work of art created by you, or an image of you visiting a significant cultural/artistic space. In the concluding section, offer a few words regarding the significance of the image to you and with relation to the story.

Your essay should be given a title (be creative).

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