Table of ContentsThe Pursuit of Happiness: Film Reflection PaperTheme of Poverty in FilmFilm AnalysisConclusionWorks CitedThe Pursuit of Happiness: Reflection Paper on the filmFor my reflection paper on the film I chose to write about "In Pursuit of Happiness", a biopic that tells the story of a man named Chris Gardner, a homeless salesman. After investing all his savings in purchasing portable bone density scanners, what was supposed to bring him wealth, turns into his life support system, as many medical industries have not felt the need for such devices medical. As financial burdens grew in the process, he lost both his wife and his home. Even after landing as an intern at a brokerage firm, the position doesn't offer him any salary. Refusing to give in to financial difficulties, he tries to make a better life for himself and his son by finding different types of methods to earn money. The director of this film is Gabriele Muccino, an Italian director who became a successful American filmmaker. This film is a biopic of Chris Gardner about his struggles as a homeless single father. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”?Get the original essayTheme of Poverty in FilmNews about poverty is often ignored and even if it is covered, the severity of the situation in these relationships are often undermined. I have participated in many volunteer work and have seen the seriousness of such situations. One of my experiences was volunteering to help the most deprived in Cambodia when I was in secondary 3. Therefore, I think this film is a perfect example to show the seriousness of people living in poverty. The overall theme of this film is poverty. I chose this theme because the film depicts the hardships of being poor without financial assistance and everything the father endured to provide food, water and shelter for his son. This film reminded me of past experiences working with my father, when I watched the scenes where Chris Gardner tries to sell his scanners by going door to door in medical buildings. These experiences made me feel the stress and burden that the job placed on my father, to the point that my father eventually became ill from his work. Even though my financial background was far from what was portrayed in the movie, it still made me feel the need to appreciate everything he gave me, starting with the smallest thing like water and... 'electricity. As the son of my parents, I must repay what they gave me by working hard in my studies and ensure that their efforts to provide for our family will not be in vain. And as for my mother, who has worked tirelessly hard for the past 18 years, just cleaning the floor during my free agency helped lighten her burdens. These small actions should be adopted by me as they will help my parents cope better with the stress of raising a family. This film also made me realize the importance of time. As time is limited, it has made me feel the need to cherish the time I spend with my family. After watching the movie, I felt the need to hang out with my family more often and talk to them rather than just staying in my room and playing my games. Games can be stopped and played later, but time with my family should be enjoyed because it is limited. My experiences in Cambodia have made me better understand the severity of poverty. However, I generally wait untilmy school welcomes such volunteer work and the thought of finding these opportunities for myself never really crossed my mind. Many people still need our help and joining volunteer groups at nearby community centers can help me take my first steps in helping groups in need. Poverty is a factor that prevents a person from supporting themselves financially. Coming from a decent home, I never felt the need to rely on financial support from the government. However, scenes from the movie where ChrisI tried to get into a homeless shelter, but instead it turned out to be fully occupied, really makes me think about the extent to which the government helps the homeless and financially unstable households. I always thought that America would be almost free from poverty, thanks to the many television shows that I enjoy watching that portray America as a dreamland. However, research conducted by the US Census Bureau found that 15% of the population lives in poverty. Much like Chris in the film, Americans live in poverty due to low income: families of four earn less than $23,000 a year and half of jobs in the United States pay less than $34,000 a year. For me, this was a surprising discovery, and I realized that poverty in America has always been a difficult problem to solve unless decent wages are paid to help these people. Furthermore, poverty is not just a problem in the United States, but it exists all over the world. Coming back to my experiences in Cambodia, Cambodians survive on agriculture which does not even provide them with a decent salary. The education system in Cambodia is also fragile: only 37.1% of the population knows how to read, write and speak. Just like the scene in the movie where Chris is asked to fill out his resume with his education level, and he says he doesn't need so many lines, today there are many countries that Still lacking in education, countries like Cambodia and China contribute to the increase in low wages due to an insufficient number of jobs offering decent wages. Therefore, this film can be related to the poverty present in today's society.Movie AnalysisAs this film is a Chris Gardner biopic, the director's intention is to tell the story of Chris Gardner's experience in poverty . However, I feel there is an underlying intention in the film. Besides showing how far parents will go just to provide for their children, another intention could be that the director wants to show that the determination to constantly seek opportunities to succeed in life will result in the appearance of life-changing opportunities. Based on the real life of Chris Gardner, the costumes used in the film are very relevant today, from people wearing formal clothing when working to homeless people wearing rugged clothing and pants. The makeup used in the film is very subtle, such as that of the homeless people who have dirt and sand on their faces and arms, which plays an important role in representing their social status. The character's behaviors in this film are depicted realistically, as is the scene after Chris is hit by a car and limps away while picking up his son from daycare. There was also subtle aggressive behavior, like Chris and the homeless man fighting over the vacant position at the shelter. Chris also portrays feeling nervous when the manager summons him for a meeting that will decide his job. Like this movie.