Imagine this. You are born in a town where everyone earns a living by being part of the same industry. You could be born in a fisher-folk community; you could be born in an area where garments are the thing. In such communities your father and his father and his father and his father (sorry) have been doing the same thing, have become so habituated to the life they have grown up seeing, that it is difficult for them understand that there are other ways of living and earning a living. Furthermore, in such communities, the element of tradition and honour comes into play. Tradition by definition is a little opposed to change. Because of all these factors, a world outside your town does not exist and there is only one road to follow, the one that your father, and his father, and his father and…may have followed. (Hold on I’m getting there). Suppose now, in the light of all these boundaries, you decide you want to be an actor, or you want to be an architect.
Try to imagine fighting against the forces that have been built up over the years. Do you think it is possible for a boy or girl from the fisher folk community to even think of becoming a fashion designer? Do you think, a person born in a family of garment businessmen would entertain the idea of becoming a policeman? I know of a boy born in a coal miner’s town, who got the “silly” idea that he could become a rocket scientist. He did become one eventually.
This is true story. October Sky is the story of Homer Hickam who is the son of a supervisor a mine. He is accompanied by three of his friends his endeavor to build a rocket and get a shot at winning the national science exhibition. The town of Coalwood exists because of the mine and everyone works there. The reason I loved this movie is because it shows that in the face of opposing forces (your father, your school, or the entire town), you can still have dream and, that dream can be fulfilled.
The story takes place in the 1960’s when Russia successfully launched Sputnik into orbit and into the heart of American pride. To some it was the “Dawn of a new era”, to some it was issue of national security and to some it was about too much talk about a hunk of metal floating in space. Homer (Jake Gyllenhaal) dared to dream in the last described scenario. The movie focuses very well on Homer and his struggle. I guess credit should go to the director Joe Johnston for this achievement.
The cast is able to pull of great performances without getting over dramatic, thus ensuring we are watching the story more then the stars themselves. Chris Cooper who plays Homers father gives one the best performances in this movie. He plays an unsupportive father who comes around in the end. You will also find Homer and his buddies very lovable, each different in their personalities. Although the movie tackles a serious subject it maintains a lightness such that it can be appreciated by all. By the end you will be rooting for The “Rocket Boys” (as they used to be called). By the end of the movie my sister, my father and I kept gushing about how great the movie was. There were no special effects, no excessive drama and no larger than life stars. To put it simply you feel very good after the movie is over. One of the exciting parts of the movie is in the end where they show video clips of Homer (now a Nasa Scientist) and the people in his life. I wish that everyone with dream watches this movie. We always battle between what some may call dreams and others “False Hopes”. Who knows, maybe Homer was lucky, maybe you might have to battle with different forces, maybe you too might be lucky. I hope your dreams come true and in the meantime watch this movie for some inspiration. It will help. Enjoy!