Finding Forrester

Finding Forrester is a likeable and entertaining drama that bears an uncanny resemblance to Gus van Sant's "Good Will Hunting" from 1997. Finding Forrester is also about a young man hiding an unusual talent, and just as in "Good Will Hunting", the close relationship between the lad and his mentor is at the centre. So there is not much new under the sun.

In a black ghetto in the Bronx, New York, 16-year-old Jamal goes to high school. He excels as a basketball player, but like many of his friends he puts only half-hearted effort into his academic subjects. Academic ability does not earn respect in the circles Jamal moves in. In the compulsory tests, however, Jamal achieves such remarkable results that he is offered a scholarship at a private school.

Jamal is a minority at the school, which is populated by whites from wealthy families. He quickly makes a friend, though, in the sweet Claire Spence. Jamal also gets support from an unexpected quarter. He has met an elderly recluse and writer who has taken an interest in Jamal's writing. The recluse is somewhat brusque and hard to get close to, but he does not want to see Jamal's potential go to waste, so he begins to guide the young man.

Only late on does Jamal discover that his mentor is none other than the famous writer William Forrester, who withdrew completely after writing one of the major works of the 20th century. When Jamal is accused of plagiarism, Forrester is the only one who can vouch for him. The question is, however, whether Forrester is willing to give up his quiet, anonymous existence.

The final twist in the plot feels superfluous, for the film is long enough as it is, and by that point it has said what it wanted to say. It comes worryingly close to pure emotional manipulation.