“A River Runs Through It” is a magnificent story of
an American family and their progressive development through times based around the early 1900’s in the great state of Montana, United States. Through the bond of two brothers, Norman and Paul, we are led to experience each of their growth together and as individuals. From childhood to adult hood and eventually to their death, the majority of their life is centralized around their love for fishing and the river that runs through their town. My greatest appreciation for this movie is the screenplay between Norman
and his younger brother Paul. The two brothers share an authentic bond likened to the relationship between my older brother and myself. The director did a fine job of portraying the camaraderie of the brothers as well as their anger at times such as the fight scene in the kitchen after the incident with the boat crash in the river. Also, as Norman and Paul go through life they each make different decisions, and each decision take them down a different path with different rewards or consequences. Like the character Norman, my older brother consistently made quality decisions to advance his career and his personal life.
As a result, he reaped the good fruits of his decision. Conversely, like the character Paul who distracted himself with things like alcohol and gambling and ended up getting punished for his decision, I also made similar decisions with my life. The parallels I found between the two brothers in the movie and my personal relationship really allowed me to have an intimate connection toward the movie.
Towards the latter part of the movie, the scene at the dinner table where Norman announces to his family his acceptance of a teaching position at the University of Chicago really stirred deep reflection in myself. The parents celebrated with great acceptance and appreciation for Norman by laughing in surprise and saying how please they