Table 1: Movies and student's expressions.
Week | Movie/year | Student's expressions after movies |
---|---|---|
1. Movie of the week | The Color of Paradise/1999 | Students said that they were very impressed by this movie, especially by Mohammad. They also said that Aziz and the father were the other characters that impressed them. The discussion focused on Mohammad's ability to deal with difficulties in his life and his efforts to hold on to life, grandmother Aziz's efforts to keep the family together and changes in father's feelings. A general review of the movie indicated that students were able to recognize and comprehend concepts such as empathy, the importance of expressing one's feelings, coping skills, effective listening, providing help and not harming others. |
2. Movie of the week | Forrest Gump/1994 | Students said that they found the character Forrest Gump very impressing. They also said that the themes of the movie were Forrest Gump's point of view regarding the things that happen in his life, his ways of coping with them, consideration for handicapped people and getting rid of one's prejudices. |
3. Movie of the week | The Merchant of Venice/2004 | Students said that Antonio and Portia were the characters that impressed them most. The themes of the movie were identified as sacrifice, the importance of keeping one's promises in relationships, conflicts of interest in relationships, marginalizing different and distinct people, prejudices and the reflections of hate and anger on relationships. |
4. Movie of the week | The Story of Us/1999 | Students talked about communication and family relationships. They discussed each character one by one, considering their roles in the family, their personality traits and patterns of communication. Students also discussed family dynamics, the characteristics that keep a family together, the importance of expressing emotions in the appropriate time and way, effective listening, caring for and empathizing with others. |
5. Movie of the week | The Remains of the Day/1993 | Students said that James Stevens was the most impressing character for them. They discussed his shyness, his inability to express himself, the weak and fragile character hidden behind his strong and authoritarian image and the effects of these characteristics on his relationships. Students emphasized that one has to be able to express inner feelings and be flexible to build an effective communication in relationships. |