As one rumor has it that the recluse was once a teacher, the boy tries to engage the recluse as a tutor. The recluse rejects the idea, but the boy is persistent. The recluse relents and becomes a strict taskmaster and excellent teacher. Somewhere along the line, the two realize that a friendship has been created.

The story behind the story is that Mel Gibson, who directed this movie, was not his own first choice to play the lead. The rumor I heard was that he wanted William Hurt to play it. While I'm sure that William Hurt would have been a fine choice, it's hard to imagine anyone doing it any better than Mel Gibson did. With this movie, Gibson proved himself a good director and a good dramatic actor.

I won't give away any more of the story, but it has several twists and turns, related to the tragic past of the recluse. This is a wonderful movie to watch with your children from ages ten and up. Issues related to determination, goal-setting, the value of work, dealing with rumors, prejudice, and how to accurately judge people are addressed. The acting is first-rate, and I'm glad that Mr. Hurt (or whomever it was) was unavailable and/or uninterested in taking the part. Whomever it was might be kicking himself now, though.

By the way, this film is very loosely based on a book of the same by Isabelle Holland, but the film and the book have several major differences. It is possible to dislike the book, as some do, but still enjoy and admire this film.

Buy The Man Without A Face [1993] with Forever Young [1992]
Review date: 2004-04-12 Rating: 8 out of 10

I have both of these films and as a big mel gibson fan enjoyed both. The man without a face is my fave film and have enjoyed it many a time. The story is one of a great relationship between wel and a young boy. They both help each other to dicover themseves. A great film which has made me cry on many a time.
Forever young, in my eyes not as good as without a face(cause thats my fave) but still a good film. Another one about a relationship between two people. Not give to much away but i did enjoy it.
Both these films are great and show mel gibson with great talent.

Thought Provoking Journey Into Hope.
Review date: 2002-09-07 Rating: 6 out of 10

The fact that an underlying sadness pervades this film should not deter those that like to be shown a different view of the world and those that like Mel Gibsons' prodigious talents. This is a beautiful - as well as sad - film with the director Mel using all of his skills to guide the films message into our hearts. The message is of the deep rooted prejudices held by people and the truly epic battles fought by everyday people everyday. Much acclaim must go to the boy hero of the film who befriends the friendless Mel and then grows to be a person of whom Mel is proud. Expect no easy or happy answers - but do expect a realistically visioned hopeful ending. Well worth watching.

A story of the mutual healing of and by two wounded souls.
Review date: 2000-10-06 Rating: 10 out of 10

On the surface this is just another story about an adult helping a disadvantaged child develop his potential. But their meeting is embedded in a social environment that takes its own liberalism and freedom of choice for granted while totally blind to the fact that its prejudices and self-absorption are as apt to destroy a sensitive soul as all the Victorian restrictions of our forefathers put together. Mel Gibson, as a teacher maimed in both body and soul, gives one of his most moving and sensitive performances, both as the main character and the director of the film, while Nick Stahl makes a memorable film-debut as the pre-teen product of a thoroughly dysfunctional family. It is his inner sense of direction, of where he wants his life to go, that ultimately heals both him and his teacher. One unforgettable character among many fine performances, is that of the mother, a perpetual flowerchild aware of the fact that "she was not made for this mothering business." That, in a nutshell, is what gives the story its depth.

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