Coalwood is a closed town in West Virginia. The coal mine is the lifeblood of the town and the only reason for the town to exist. In the eyes of Foreman John, all the men in Coalwood Town, either you get a scholarship to play football and leave the town to go to college, or you become a miner after graduating from high school, there is no other possibility. Born in Sri Lanka, grew up in Sri Lanka, died in Sri Lanka, this is the fate of coal forest people. John's son Homer wants to be an aerospace scientist and build rockets. In West Virginia, a small town that doesn't even know what a rocket is, such a dream is unmistakable.
Everyone has the right to dream, and naturally also has the right to realize their dreams. But the reason why a dream is a dream is because it may be unrealistic, difficult to achieve, and fantastic, and it is because of these unknowns that we call it a "dream". Homer has such a rocket dream, and it is naturally difficult to realize it in the environment of coal forest. What does it take to make a dream come true? The partners, Shermen worked on the materials, Roy was responsible for the communication and lobbying, and Quentin solved the complex mathematical calculations, and Hormer, he had the passion and conviction, and it was he who gave the partners the passion and conviction they needed. Guide, Teacher Riley encouraged these children to find books about rockets for them, and hoped that they would become the kind of people they want to be. With the support of the family, the mother wants her child to grow up happily, and she is willing to do anything for the child's dream. But what about the father?
All the efforts Homer has put in are, on the one hand, a dream that he desperately pursues, and on the other hand, he just hopes that his dream can be affirmed by his father John. And I think the most successful part of this film is the vivid portrayal of the conflict between the two generations' views on dreams and reality. John is a very realistic faction, and most parents in real life belong to this faction. Quite simply, not every dream can become a reality, not everyone can become a rocket expert, especially in a back-up town in West Virginia, what is a rocket? Unheard of. The father is good-hearted. No matter what, he always loves his children and hopes that his children will have a secure future. There is nothing wrong with this. The child did not accept the father's arrangement and showed disobedience to the discipline, so John seemed extraordinarily unreasonable. In fact, his heart was not like this, otherwise there would be no story of Homer's exhibits being stolen and his father asking the workers to rush them to the arena. From John's point of view, he thought it was a stupid thing to study rockets in the coal forest, or he didn't want his children to face the unknown results after so much enthusiasm. The reality is heavy, the dream is fragile, and they may be sad, which is what the father does not want to see. Homer made so much effort just because he hoped that his dream could be affirmed by his father, even if it was a look of approval. But he got what he wanted. The last model rocket launched in Coalwood was John who turned the switch. The October sky has the color of dreams.
I do not deny that you will encounter failures when pursuing your dreams. You may experience many difficulties and find that what you have been pursuing is not what you want, disappointment and pain, and these are the parts that make up your dreams. Be the kind of person you want to be, do what you want to do, and if there's one thing that's important, I guess it's what's called a "dream". Parents want to find a safe way out for their children. Naturally, they have good intentions, but nothing in this world is foolproof, just like stocks will depreciate and workers will be laid off... There is no one-size-fits-all way for us to go, just like Just as we choose to pursue our dreams, broken dreams are part of life. Pursuing our dreams brings us joy, and it is our responsibility to bear the pain of broken dreams, because anything has the potential to fail. You can't do something just because it has the possibility of failure. If you don't do it, how can you know if it will come true?
At the end of the film, Homer and his friends get scholarships, go to college, and leave the town of Coalwood. The Coal Forest Mine closed down in 1971 due to the empty coal mine. Homer worked at NASA until his retirement in 1998. The film is based on the autobiography of NASA engineer Homer Hickman.
Sometimes one dream is enough to light up the whole sky.
View more about October Sky reviews
