Hits different now
YES
Release date: June 2, 1989
Director: Peter Weir
Language: English
Who should watch this movie: First year college students. Aspiring writers.
When should you watch this movie: When you’re sad and want to feel sadder. When you’re in a creative rut
The sell: Dead Poets Society will make you reminisce about being a young man, even if you were never a young man. Robin Williams heads up a stellar cast and takes the lead in telling this beautiful story about growing up. This movie is fundamentally about the arts and the integral role they play in shaping young minds – teaching us how to be people (something Clifford Geertz calls “sentimental education.”) But it is also about the tragedy in our rejection of the arts, and denial of our own humanity. This story is told with enthusiasm, but not with flair. It is hopeful and heartbreaking, and 100% a masterpiece. There is absolutely something to be said about the glorification of dead white dude authors here, and honestly I’d love to see a remake in 2020 with a more inclusive reading list. If anyone wants to take that on, please lmk.
