Unbroken:
The movie Unbroken is based on the true story of Louis Zamperini, a World War II veteran who has a tale of survival that is incomprehensible to the average person. As a boy, Louis grew up in a strict Italian family that migrated to America. Growing up poor, Louis never imagined he could do anything with his life, and so he spent most of his childhood breaking into houses and drinking alcohol. He lacked any sense of purpose or direction.
After joining the track team with his brother, Luois went on to make the Olympic track team and became an international star. Sadly when the war came, Louis’ need to purpose took him into the Air Force. Louis managed to survive the immediate dangers of war, even managing to crash land a plane on a dirt runway in Hawaii, only to later crash their plane into the pacific. Chanting the mantra “if I can take it I can make it,” Louis and two of his crew pull together their ingenuity and manage to fish, catch birds, and even kill a shark in the desperate attempt to stay alive long enough to be rescued. Upon being “rescued” by a Japanese military ship, the survivors were placed in a Japanese war camp and were treated as enemies of Japan.
The seemingly impossible luck of our hero Louis never ceases to end as he is now targeted by the young, power hungry sergeant of the Japanese war camp. Every day The sergeant makes it his mission to find any excuse to torture, beat, or kill Louis. Despite the extreme efforts made against him, Louis still holds one truth above all else, “If I can take it, I can make it.” His morals are then truly put to the test at the turning point of the movie as he is offered a way out of the prison camp, in return for helping Japan with propaganda, as he is the American Olympic hero. At this point the viewer truly understands the will power and exactly how “unbroken” it really is. This is the point where Louis realizes that he would (and very well may) die before he would help his enemy.
Overall I think the aesthetic quality of the movie was very beautiful. It amplifies the heroism of one man’s tragedies so that we as a society may grow and learn from it, to learn from our mistakes.
My one caution about this film is be mindful. Be mindful that while this story has a very uplifting theme, that one can overcome anything with will power, we must not forget those that did die in the line of battle. We rarely see a movie about them, but their sacrifice and heroism was every bit as remarkable. So go buy a ticket, see this movie, and hopefully it will motivate you to be more sympathetic next time you see a veteran in need.