Title: A Walk to Remember
Writer: Karen Janszen (screenplay), Nicholas Sparks (novel)
Director: Adam Shankman
Year: 2002
Actors: Mandy Moore, Shane West, Peter Coyote
Story:
Set in the town of Beafort, North Carolina. Two teenagers learn the meaning of patience, love and loss. Landon Carter (Shane West), is threaten with expulsion from school, for a prank that left a friend paralyzed. Rebellious, no real aim to be anything but popular, he is forced into mandatory participation into school functions as part of “community service” he meets Jaime Sullivan (Mandy Moore). Though they are from different social ladders, their worlds unexpectantly collide.
Plot:
Forced into tutoring and to participate in the school drama club, Landon must interact with Jaime; the quiet plain-jane, conservative daughter of a baptist minister. When he realizes that he needs help in learning the lines for the plays; he asks Jaime for help. Jaime agrees on the condition that he promises not to fall in love with her. Jaime and Landon reherse their line at her house.
It is soon thereafter, that they start to build a friendship; he learns of a wishlist of things she wants to do in her life. One being a tattoo. Jaime realizes that Landon almost expected for their newfound friendship to be kept in secret, when he publicly embarasses her in front of his friends. When he goes to apoligize at her house, she slams the door in his face, and he is forced to learn the script on his own.
During the play, Jaimes shocks everyone with her amazing voice and her true beauty. Landon of all is the most shocked and during the play kisses her, though it is not in the script. It is from that moment on that he tries to pursue her. One day Landon’s friend humilates her; Landon punches his friend and further rejects all his friends. It is then that Jaime realizes that she wants to get to know the “real” Landon.
On their first date, Landon ask Jaime to list all the things that she has wanted to do such as the tattoo, reading 100 hundred books and being in two places at once. He learns the true beauty of her soul. She confesses to him on the second date the reason she does not make plans for the future; she has luekemia and she has not responded to treatments. As she progressively get worse, Landon’s friends try to show their support for the two of them. When Jaime is sent to the hospital for her illness, Landon reaches out to his estranged father, Dr. Carter, who tells him there is nothing he can do.
Jaime gives Landon a book that once belonged to her mother stating that she felt that God sent him to her as her angel to get through the difficult times. Unbeknowst to Landon, Jaime is sent home; full medical care all expenses paid courtesy of Landons father. Landon goes back and thanks his father and their relationship is rekindled.
Landon seeking to fulfill all of Jaimes wishes, proposes to her and she tearfully accepts. They were married and live the rest of the summer in love. She passes at the end of the summer.
Landon comes back to visit Jaimes father years later, to give him the book. He has since been accepted into medical school. He expresses his regret to Rev. Sullivan about Jaime being able to experience a miracle while she was alive. With that Rev. Sullivan tells him that she did, in the form of Landon.
- Discuss whether your film is presented chronologically or non-linearly. In your discussion, address the following:
- How did this aesthetic choice contribute to the general effect on the audience?
- How are elements like character development or foreshadowing impacted by the choice of storytelling methods?
- If the film had followed a different presentation style, how would the general effect on the audience have been different?
I feel that this film was done chronologically. By doing so, the effect it had on the audience was in better understanding as event happened. The characters development was seen in the change that Landon went through to be a better person. To present this movie any other way, I feel, would have dramatically reduced the effect that the audience would have experienced.
Resources:
Ebert, R. (2002, January 25). A Walk to Remember. Roger Ebert.com. Retrieved from http://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/a-walk-to-remember-2002
IMDb, (2002). A Walk to Remember. IMDb. Retrieved from http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0281358/
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