Waterland - 7

I don't say this often but this film could change your life. Ok that may be extreme but it made me reflect on life and where mine is going in new and interesting ways. I first heard about this film from a book, and it has just now available on DVD (I use Netflix). The film is about Tom Crick (played well by Jeremy Irons), a high school history teacher, who has moved to Pittsburgh from the Fens (and area of land that has been taken back from the sea) of England. His students questions the reason for studying history and he begins to tell them the story of his life, his story- history. In the process he begins to connect and see that the choices that he made early in life have consequences into his present. In the end, he find himself in a story that is not told as an abstraction, like most history is told, but rather that his choices involve storied living, and how that will affects others. He is able to conclude the story with his students by giving them insight into the choices they will make and the path their lives could take. He fulfills, in part his role in education, to expand his students imagination and connect learning to life.