MOVIE ANALYSIS FORREST GUMP

intended to fulfill one of the tasks of the communication psychology

Lecturer Miss Sarah Aisyah

Created by:

Muhammad Farrell (1502180079)

Nanza Novalino (1502180135)

Machfira Ramadhana (1502183031)

Aldi Pratisara Wirya (1502180389)

PROGRAME STUDY OF COMMUNICATION

FACULTY OF COMMUNICATION AND BUSINESS

TELKOM UNIVERSITY

BANDUNG

2018
Plot

This film tells the story of a man named Forrest Gump who was raised by his mother with great
struggle. Forrest is often ridiculed and shunned by his friends because of his below average
intelligence and physical limitations. But outside of his inability, he can run fast. On the first day of
his school, he met Jenny, a girl near her residence whom she had known since kindergarten but
became an unrequited love. When he graduated, he enrolled in the military and was sent to
Vietnam, where he immediately became friends with a Negro man named Bubba, who convinced
Forrest to take part in the shrimp business with him after the war was over. Forrest became a very
meritorious person in his platoon with his fast running ability. He became the savior of many
wounded soldiers and helped his commander, so he received the Congressional Medal of Honor for
his heroism. When healing from a bullet shot lodged in his buttocks, he finds his hidden ability in
ping-pong. He also became a famous table tennis athlete and took his country to the international
arena in a match against the Chinese team. In an anti-war demonstration in Washington, DC, he met
Jenny, who had a hippie lifestyle. Adult Forrest Gump spends his time searching for his missing little
girl friend. He spent his savings to buy a shrimp fishing boat as he had promised Bubba. At first, his
efforts always failed but with hard work and unyielding and assisted by his commander who had
retired due to disability, he became a successful and able to finance the Bubba family.

Character profile

Tom Hanks as Forrest Gump: Although at an early age he is deemed to have a below-average IQ of
75, he has an endearing character and shows devotion to his loved ones and duties, character traits
which bring him into many life-changing situations. Along the way, he encounters many historical
figures and events throughout his life.

Analysis

1. Psychological Perspective

In this movie, the characters of Forrest gump tell about the guy who doesn't smart and
difference with another guy, he only has a low IQ and has physical limitations that he has. He
was raised by his mother alone, truly his mother struggled to be able to raise the gump
Forrest. Many people underestimate Forrest gump because he has many limitations and
disadvantages, from that limitation many people bully him just like that. Since growing up he
has a friend named Jenny, Jenny is the first friend of Forrest Gump who always accompanies
and teaches courage to Forrest a small moment. Jenny always tells the Forrest to always run
 if an enemy comes. When they came home from Forrest to get a bully, Jenny told the
Forrest to run as fast as possible, not to stop, finally the Forrest ran with the car to
accidentally hit the Gump Forrest, Jenny shouted to the Forrest to keep running there
Forrest always listening to Jenny's words until it runs very fast until it enters the baseball
field. When the Forrest bumps past the baseball field, one of the coaches sees the Forrest
gump with running speed which is really maximal there the coach is attracted to the Forrest
gump and pulls the Forrest gump to enter the baseball team, when the match starts to stay
silent waiting for the command and finally his friend gave the ball to the Forrest and asked
him to run fast and there Forrest gump ran as fast as he could without seeing the finish line.

In this film we can see how Forrest works despite its physical limitations and lack of IQ, he
thinks if he runs as hard as he can he will get security in his life like Jenny told him to run as
hard as he can to avoid disaster and from there Forrest too thinking if he ran as fast as he
could, he would avoid a disaster. In terms of the psychology perspective Forrest gump is
Humanistic because he is a human who always thinks whatever people say to him that will
be an impact on him like Jenny told him to run as fast as possible to avoid his enemies and
this is really suitable in terms of the Humanistic perspective for gump Forrest.

2. Attitude
1. Sensation
Sensation is the process that allows our brains to take in information via
our five senses, which can then be experienced and
interpreted by the brain. In this movie, from physical limitations and having a low IQ
Forrest, Gump always listens and sees what people say to him. From the five sensations,
forest gump went into sensation hearing and sight.
Because information can be from outside, he always listens to what people say and after
that understands and just understands. Like in some scenes when people consider him a
fool so he feels that he is stupid, and in some scenes he also uses his vision like a scene
where when there was a war in Vietnam he saw that his friend was shot, through his
vision thinking what he should do if his friend gets shot and finally he just understands
what he has to do, finally he helps his friend.
2. Attention
The concentration of awareness on some phenomenon to the
exclusion of other stimuli.
 when Forrest had his first tool to helped him walk. The people were watching him
confusedly, when he was little kid.
3. Memory
Memory is the means by which we draw on our past
experiences in order to use this information in the present'
(Sternberg, 1999).
When he recalls the bullies was gone hit him by bicycle, he already knows that he had to
run the next time the bullies came with a car
4. Thinking
The thinking happens in this movie when He said in the beginning My mama always said
‘Life is like a box of chocolate. You never know what you’re going to get.
5. Emotion
a happy expression in the part of the Forrest gump giving a speech in public he heard
someone calling himself when he saw it turned out there was a woman who was walking
in the pool to come to the Forrest gump. When seeing who the person is Forrest, Gump
is very happy if his female friend comes to see him finally Forrest and comes to Jenny's
girlfriend and hugs her.
6. Emotional catharsis
A catharsis is an emotional release. Feelings of frustration or tension might be released
through physical activities.
the moment when Forrest Gump cried when Jenny the wife died because of HIV, where
the moment was Forrest gump lived by the person he loved for the umpteenth time. at
Jenny's funeral, he told in front of Jenny's grave about the beginning he met and told
them about their journey and told their children, in there Forrest gump was really crying
because he lost his lovely person on his life.
7. Level of conation
The psychological level of conation is based unconsciousness. There is active movement
towards a goal.
In this movie Forrest gump refers to psychological level, because types of Forrest gump
he want try something that can make satisfied for him, and one of the part movie when
Forrest gump after military he tried new experience to play table tennis and when he
can do the games , he become athlete table tennis and join the competition in china.
3. Motivation

- Motivation conflict military school in terms of motivational theory, Forrest gump is

an extrinsic type because he thinks that if he accepts it will be easier to get a job and
currently there is ongoing war in Vietnam, so he is also invited to accept the military
in Vietnam.

- Motivation theory of Maslow hierarchy of needs

In the theory of Maslow hierarchy of needs, Forrest Gump is including people who
need safety, because he is the weakness person and need to find safety in terms of
works , in one part the movie after Forrest Gump graduated from college he learned
that if he entered the military he would easily find work so he asked for himself after
entering the military he would easily get a job and it proved he became a famous
person and became a table tennis athlete who had achievements

4. Self-concept

- Self-image
self-image Forrest gump on this movie when he was getting picked on by the
lieutenant dan’s girls he just ignoring them but when jenny was talking to him, he
always listen carefully and always good to her, this is a conclusion that Forrest can
overcome any situation, and knows how he must behave in front of different people

- Idea self
In one of part the movie, Forrest gump always helps lieutenant and to stay survive in
this world and stop being suicidal even without his legs, Forrest always support him
to live. This concept suitable with idea self because it’s consisted hope and dream.

- Self esteem
In one of the movie scenes, when Forrest always get bullied, hatted and shouted. He
always believes in himself because what he did is not wrong because “stupid is as
stupid does”. In this concept Forrest has a high self esteem even when the others
are giving him negative feedback.
5. Personality

- Personality MBTI
In terms of the MBTI personality Forrest gump is introverted because he is more
silent and immediately does it without much talking and focus. With all the
shortcomings he has, such as having a low IQ and physical limitations. One of the
scenes when he was growing up he was bullied by one of the gangs who had bought
him from a small age without many questions or fights, his girlfriend told him to run
away and avoid the gang of bullying, he remained focused on what Jenny talked to
him to keep running as far as possible without stopping.

- Personality from DISC theory

In the DISC theory, he included typical compliance because he was very instrumental
in his work when he became a military. One of the scenes when he faced war in
Vietnam, he really helped his team and collaborated when the enemy arrived, and
when his friends were hit, he was very helpful and helped his friends. Forrest Gump
is a person who is disciplined with what he does and is consistent with what he does.

6. Kinesics

- Anger: In one scene, Jenny Forrest friend Gump is fighting with men. They fought
because Jenny took a lump of Forrest to the place of their headquarters (black
panther headquarters) when they fought Jenny being slapped by the man, and there
Forrest Gump was very angry with a facial expression of eyebrows down and
together and eyes, and he narrowing of the lips . That's where Forrest Gump angry
and approached the man and the Forrest was hitting the man to reply to what he
had done to Jenny.
- Surprise: At the end of movie, Forrest gump was still sitting on a beach telling his
life stories. His final listener was on old lady, Forrest told her that he was going to
visit his wife house “jenny” after being separated for a little while, and the old lady
told to Forrest that her house is not too far away and he doesn’t need to take a bus.
So, Forrest canceled to ride on bus and decided to walk there. When he arrived he
saw her wife opened the door for him, they talk and a little boy coming inside the
house, and jenny told to Forrest if that kids is his son the expression on Forrest was
surprise and his eyebrows raised and his eyes widened and the mouth was not open,
he really surprise when he know he has a kid from jenny.

- Happy: in this scene when Forrest met lieutenant Dan, he was very happy to see
him still alive in this world although he doesn’t have his legs anymore, Forrest is
happy to see him. We can see in this part if his expression that he was very happy
and show it the big smile on his face.
- Sad: The expression in this scene shows that if he was sad after hearing the word
mother, he said this was the last trip here, she was very proud to be a mother for
him, she would miss Forrest gump so much. His mother said ‘Life is like a box of
chocolates. You never know what you will get. 'At this time the Forrest knows if the
mother has cancer.
From the talking point we have read how the eyelids droop over, lose focus on his
eyes and lips that cannot answer anything else.

- Fear : In this part of the forest’s expression, he seemed scared because he was
sailing before and while he was resting he heard the news that the mother had
entered the TV due to illness, at that moment he immediately went to go home after
he saw many people in his house, his face began to panic of what condition
happened to his mother. After he met his mother, he saw the figure of the doctor
examining the mother. After the doctor out from his mother room, how a fear when
he saw his mother laying on her bad.

Conclusion
Forrest is a straightforward person. He always obedient to older people even though
sometimes they are making fun of him. He always thinks positively until it can reach
stubbornness in the perspective of others, but he always does the right things.