Kindness To A Stranger —The Blind Side (2009) | CineTV Contest #16

Kindness is one of the virtues that touches our hearts and makes us human. Everyone longs for a little kindness from our fellow man or woman and when we receive it, our world is better for it.

Films with themes of kindness and compassion have a way of inspiring viewers to be better and to know that no matter how dark the world may look, there are still a lot of good people out there. Sometimes, we are moved to tears when we see kindness displayed on our screen between movie characters.

One movie that most represents kindness to me is John Lee Hancock's The Blind Side (2009) featuring Sandra Bullock as the star actor. This is a story of kindness to a total stranger.

A True Story

This movie, based on Michael Lewis's biography of the same name, narrates how a kind-hearted couple, Sean and Leigh Anne Tuohy, took interest in Michael Oher, an American football player, adopted him and gave him a new life.

Michael Oher grew up in poverty. He lived in the ghetto, a rough neighbourhood known for violence and drugs. He had lost all hope and lived from hand to mouth daily. One thing that set him apart and made him visible to the Tuohy family was his neatness —he would pick up after those who litter the game room with popcorn papers and other dirt.

When Leigh Anne Tuohy saw him, she did not hesitate to bring him into their home and make him a part of the family.

Discrimination

An inspiring part of this movie is the boldness that Leigh Anne Tuohy exhibited when she adopted a boy who is dark-skinned, uncaring of what other people thought. One scene I enjoyed in this movie was when she went to lunch with her classy friends and they had unpleasant things to say about the 'black' boy. She immediately shut them down.

One of the friends remarked,"you changed that boy's life" to which she replied,"no. He changed mine". I couldn't have said anything more touching! This sends a message that regardless of our skin colour, size or gender, we are one. The differences only make us unique.

The entire family supported Leigh Anne's decision and wholly accepted Michael. I admire how the Tuohy children stood by Micheal in school. They would play and study together despite the looks of other students.

The Cast

One thing that inspires me to watch movies is the cast. Seeing Sandra Bullock as the lead actor fueled my interest to watch. She's a well-known, lovely actress who has performed excellently in movies and received awards for them. Her performance in this movie was compelling for which she received an Oscar. She convincingly acted as Michael's adoptive mother, taking him under her wings and grooming him to conquer every obstacle to become the shining football star every college team wanted.

Another interesting cast in this movie is Lily Collins, who acted as one of the Tuohy children and was very supportive of her adopted brother. I love the humour of S.J., the youngest Tuohy child. His performance was adorable. He accepted Michael first before the other family members got to know him.

Review

This is one of the most inspiring, touching movies I love to watch mainly because it's all about kindness to a stranger. The Tuohy family exhibited a rare kindness and compassion towards a boy who had no home. One thing every human being wants apart from food is a place to lay the head every night and call home. The Tuohy family gave this to Michael Oher. This is the very definition of kindness.

This movie inspires viewers to be kind and compassionate to others, to stand up for what we believe in (if it's right), to be better people regardless of what is popular in the society, to fight against discrimination and not to let obstacles stand in the way of our life goals.

This is my entry to the CineTV Contest #16 - Movie That Most Represents Kindness. To participate, just click on the link and it will take you straight to the post. The deadline is 1st June, 2022, 11:59 PM, UTC time.

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^{Images are screenshots from the movie}