The other day while browsing on Tumblr, I came across a GIF. If I find the GIF or a similar image, I’ll share it here. Of course, when someone commented under it on Tumblr saying something like, “This movie was great. I loved it so much,” and the dialogue I saw in that GIF touched me even a little bit, I immediately added the movie to my watchlist. Waiting for a movie recommendation from someone can be a chore; occasionally, I stumble upon movies accidentally like this, and they turn out to be really good.

Let me give you a quick summary without spoilers. As it’s well known, there is a prominent gang culture in America. These can be categorized into groups like Black, Asian, and White students, among others. It’s a story about the lives of students in a school plagued by this environment and how they come together to form a unity. At the end of the film, I realized that the movie was adapted from a true story. The lesson I drew from this movie is that one must always be honest and upright. Lies won’t get you anywhere.

The lead actress of the film is Hilary Swank. Additionally, the film received a score of 7.5 on IMDb (Internet Movie Database) with 43,850 user votes. And this rating is actually a really good score on IMDb. Also, the film is a 2007 production. Enjoy watching! It is highly recommended. Finally, I give this film an 8.5 out of 10.

Here are the exact words the teacher said to her student in the movie, which resonated with me deeply:

“I don’t want excuses. I know what you’re up against. We’re all up against something. You better make up your mind, because until you can look me in the eye and tell me that this is all you deserve, I am not gonna let you fail. Even if it means I have to come to your house every night until you finish your work… I can see who you are. Do you understand me? You are not a mistake.”