Thoughts about Garden State

Garden State was released in 2004. And, this heart-warming movie is still many people's favorite.

It is about a guy(Andrew), who returns back to his home in New Jersey and rediscovers love in different aspects. He hasn't been able to feel much since he went to L.A. to pursue his career (because of the anti-depressant he takes and his family). However, during this visit, the death of his mom, his serious-looking dad, his old friends and a girl he meets, sam, all make him start to feel again and give him the motivation to start a new life.


For me, this movie is about "home". Although Andrew kind of keeps away from home, he still can't get away from it in the end. Actually, he kind of misses it and secretly dreams of it. He said in the movie: a group of people miss the same imaginary place so that they re-create the place by making their own family. Moreover, different homes have different issues to deal with. Although there are fights among family members, everyone in the end compromised like going home to crash in the end of a day.


There is a good point is the movie. Andrew said he has been waiting for a new life to start. However, he just realizes it is all there. Yeah, everything is all there. We just need to realize it or need someone to help us to realize it. When you see it, you have to grab it or you will miss it.

This movie has a very good soundtrack, which has won the Grammy award in 2005. The lyrics of the music all fit certain scene in the film. I think I can incorporate the songs somehow into the design of the film title.
An interesting thought about the movie:I think it is ironic this movie uses the nickname of New Jersey as the title. This guy goes to L.A. for his career in "Movies". However, this movie is not about the complimenting the big city; rather, it is about some small city in New Jersey.
Also, it talks about how anti-depressants destroy people's ability to feel. It is also a good element for the design of film title.