The Graduate

I saw this film for the first time last summer in my Elements of Film class and was just as blown away by its magic this time. This is another watershed film and an emblem for its time. It creatively reveals the generation gap so topical in the sixties--the differences in values between the middle-aged (hardworking, disciplined, materially driven) and the young adult (free-loving, keeping it real, and a little lost). The characters that drive this movie are so distinctly shaped and often in conflict with one another that it's enthralling. Forbidden sex only adds to the seduction. Protagonist Ben Braddock (Dustin Hoffman) is a pitifully likeable hero as he comes of age among the two Robinson women amid the late-1960s economic boom, civil and feminist rights movements, and uncertainties of a country at war in Vietnam and at home within the institution of the American family. Simon and Garfunkel's music heightens this meaningful story. I love and appreciate all of the symbolism! And the ambiguous ending only adds to the film's allure.