The Blind Side: The Boy That Changed Her Life
The Blind Side is more than just any film based on a true story of a football player; it teaches the viewer valuable lessons about life: there is more to a person than what meets the eye and never take what you have for granted. As cliché as this might sound, this film does an outstanding job at explaining the importance of these two takeaways.
This film is based on a true story of a homeless African-American boy named Michael Oher who has been placed in several foster homes growing up due to his mother’s drug addiction, and he would run away from every single one. He was noticed for his athletic ability in different sports, and he was reluctantly placed into a school specifically for being put on the football team despite his poor academic performance. As soon as he started attending school, the prejudice began. He was often left alone because of his appearance of being a different race and wore the same outfit every day. His teachers did not see that much potential in him based on his first couple days. He, however, is noticed here and there by the Tuohy family throughout the school. Sean and Leigh Anne Tuohy took him in one night when they found him walking by himself with inadequate clothing and learned he spends the cold nights outside the closed school gym. Leigh Anne’s determination and powerful behavior start to transform Michael,which allows him to show more of himself and become open with others. Over time, Michael slowly becomes a part of the family and becomes recognized for his outstanding performance in football by colleges. Michael and the Tuohy family undergo many challenges that are thrown in their way, but despite these challenges, Leigh Anne is determined to give Michael the best life that he deserves.
One of the challenges that this family deals with also depicts moments of history in America: racism. Many times, during this film, Michael was judged based on the color of his skin. Kids would run away from him on the playground at the school and adults perceive him as a threat. While Leigh Anne is at lunch with a few of her girlfriends, they warn her to be careful and to look out for herself, SJ, and especially her teenage daughter Collins. Although everyone seems to be making these judgements, Leigh Anne and her family are the ones who have Michael’s back and defend him claiming that he is changing her life. Leigh Anne in this film is taking away what the viewer should take away from the movie: there is more to a person than what meets the eye.
The scene that best presents both takeaways is the bed scene. Leigh Anne is showing Michael his new room talking to him about it. As she stays busy with tasks in the room while having the conversation with Michael, he is shown standing in the same spot the whole time keeping his words short and sweet as usual. The camerawork in this scene help the viewer interpret this; when the camera is on Michael, it is always staying in one place and the same distance away. On the other hand, while the camera is on Leigh Anne, it moves around with her at a distance showing that Leigh Anne is not paying much attention to the importance this act of kindness has on Michael. He appears to be only taking in two things the room though: Leigh Anne out of respect of talking to her and the bed he has received (the camera does not allow the viewer to see this though; it just shows that he keeps gazing at a certain object in the room). Leaving it up to interpretation, Michael asking “It’s mine?” and stating that he’s never had one before makes the viewer assume he is talking about the bedroom. The viewers are reassured by Leigh Anne also making this assumption by saying “What? A room to yourself?” folding her arms and smirking as if it should not even be a question (hint: this is one of the lessons). But when Michael corrects her as he refers to the bed, she is taken back by this statement. At this point, the camera zooms in closer on Leigh Anne than before, showing that she finally understands how important this is to Michael. She quickly walks off to her bedroom where she sits by herself staring off into space pondering what in the world just happened. At this point, the camera is at an angle of her side from a distance showing everything that Leigh Anne is taking in as she sits in her room alone.
Another scene that exhibits the takeaways is when Leigh Anne is out for lunch with her friends. The four of them are sitting around the table, and Leigh Anne’s friends casually joke about Michael being in her Christmas card. One of the friends sarcastically suggests that Leigh Anne should just adopt Michael. With no hesitation and in all seriousness, Leigh Anne states that adopting him would be pointless because he would become an adult soon. In that moment, the friends pick up her serious tone and realize that Leigh Anne is not playing around. The camera movement in this scene shows each reaction of the friends individually in a close up to make sure the viewer catches the immediate change in expression. The camera continues to do so when one of the friends makes an unnecessary comment about Michael living under the same roof as Collins and how Leigh Anne should be careful of this situation. The camera goes to Leigh Anne, and she scolds the friend with no hesitation and a blank expression. Instantly, the camera goes to the friend showing her surprise in Leigh Anne’s response, and then the camera shows another friend sinking into her chair to emphasize the silent and awkward moment.
The Blind Side is more than just a true story; it is a lesson. The way that this movie was filmed really brought the reality into it. It was not the special effects, the acting, the music, or the history behind it that made this movie what it was; it was the interpersonal aspect that sold the movie. That is what sold it. The amount of respect and compassion that was given to each character was outstanding. The most unpredictable part of this was how Denise Oher, Michael’s mother, was perceived. Instead of belittling her for being a drug addict and having her son taken away from her which is what we as viewers would expect, she was given a respected identity for still being Michael’s mother, and this was given by Leigh Anne. This is just a piece, along with what she did for Michael, of how Leigh Anne is perceived as a woman with compassion despite having such thick skin and many layers like an onion; you have to peel one layer back at a time.
Although it appears to be a movie solely about football, that is not the case. Its center is the change that Leigh Anne has made on Michael. She transforms this shy, gentle giant into a man who can finally get his future together. This film does an excellent job at exhibiting what it is like to not be prejudice and to treat people with compassion. It shows how even the littlest things people do can make a difference whether it be negative or positive.
