The Graduate (1967)
In the films I choose to watch in my free time, I almost never connect to the main characters. I’ve just always been intrigued by stories with characters whose values, lives, and personalities are completely opposite to that of my own. Part of what absolutely stunned me about Mike Nichol’s The Graduate (1967) is that the main character, Benjamin Braddock, deals with my similar concerns of entering the next chapter of life and adulthood as a general theme. I forgot the feeling of what it’s like to truly connect to an onscreen character, and as I enter the college process, it was relieving to see another person whose future is unclear. Truthfully, I had no idea what I was getting myself into when I turned on The Graduate, except for knowing the iconic line: “Mrs. Robinson, you're trying to seduce me. Aren't you?”. But this movie isn’t about a seduction, it deals with themes of figuring out who you are and who you want to become and the universal feeling of being misunderstood. There’s also a fantastic soundtrack featuring Simon and Garfunkel and really creative cinematography to piece it all together.
The Graduate stars Dustin Hoffman as Benjamin Braddock, a recent college graduate who’s spending the summer at his parent’s house in Pasadena, CA. He spends his time staring into his fish tank avoiding the question on everyone’s minds, what are his plans for the future? He is soon rerouted when a friend of his parents, Mrs. Robinson (Anne Bancroft) seduces him. But the trouble truly begins when Benjamin starts lusting after Elaine Robinson (Katherine Ross), Mrs. Robinson’s daughter.
In my opinion, the most clear cut theme of the film is identity. Benjamin struggles to separate himself from his college identity as an incredible student, track star, and newspaper editor, because now that he’s a graduate, it is all virtually meaningless. We witness Benjamin change throughout the movie, and question why he struggles so much with figuring out what he’ll do with his education.
Another important theme discussed is feeling like an outsider in a place you once called home, literally. Benjamin returns home from college on the east coast to his parent’s home, and has never felt more alienated. Benjamin no longer feels like he’s a part of his parent’s world and rather that he is merely staying there until he figures out his own place in the world. He treats his parent’s home like a hotel, spending his days lazing around in the pool and his bedroom. We witness Ben’s discomfort through incredible camerawork by cinematographer Robert Surtees, the incredible POV and aerial shots during the graduation party scene help the audience better understand how Benjamin feels.
This is one of the best coming of age films I’ve ever seen, and I hope to return to this film in a few years to see if I relate to it in a different way, because I’m almost certain that I will. I highly recommend this film to every person entering a new stage in their life and for all Simon and Garfunkel enthusiasts.
