the lazy streets so undemanding...

Monday, May 09, 2005

Million Dollar Baby

It's a story based on female boxing. Frank Dun (by Clint Eastwood) is a boxing trainer and has trained many men into good fighters who will eventually choose to leave him for another manager, a harsh truth partially caused by his over-protectiveness. Plus his estrangement with his daughter for years, Frank has never involved himself into any relationship, not even a father-daughter kind. The only friend he has is Scrap (by Morgan Freeman), a half-blinded ex-fighter who maintains Frank's gym and knows that he is indeed a devoted catholic who has attended mass everyday for many years. Maggie Fitzgerald (by Hilary Swank) comes to from a trailer park and does two waitressing jobs in the city. Despite living in poverty and being at an age considered too old for the profession, Maggie has an unquenchable enthusiasm for boxing and is determined to become the champion of the world. She practices in Frank's gym everyday, hoping that he will agree to train her one day. After more than one year of persuasion and the encouragement from Scrap, Frank finally agrees to take her on. This is what I consider the turning point of the story. After that, the story develops to everyone's delight with Maggie winning several fights in a row that leads her to the world's best fighter status in a surprisingly short span of 2 years. Meanwhile both Frank and Maggie have found that missing father-daughter love in themselves... until Maggie is hit illegitimately by her malicious opponent in the title fight and suffered a complete paralysis ever after. Frank has since assumed the painful duty to take care of her, but he is yet to be faced the most difficult choice of his life...

I could not sleep that night after I watched this movie. To me, it is a movie more than the romance, the heart wrench and the tragic ending, it is inspiration and love beyond death. Now that I am here typing, I still cannot put into words this feeling so tremendous. Maybe I will leave you with a question -- Have you ever had a dream that no one but you can see? I have, and my hope for it to come true has found an echo in the movie.

GXL got high at 3:25 PM

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