The Blind Side: A Social Worker's Perception of the Movie

I have seen countless "inspiring movies" where a youth is troubled and somehow the youth is able to turn their life around. I had heard good reviews of The Blindside prior to seeing it but could not imagine that it would be any different from the countless other "troubled youth turned good" movies. I was surprised to be proven wrong and find this movie to be inspiring and different from the other movies in this genre.
The Blindside is a true story about a troubled youth growing up in the South having dealt with trauma at a young age, the main character, Michael Oher ( played by Quinton Aaron), is left to fend for himself on the streets. I have a background as a Social Worker and was immediately drawn into the story by the details of what his Mother had forced he and his brother to deal with at a young age. The Mother was a drug addict living in the projects. I was also interested in how it appeared that no Social Service agencies had assisted this child when things were not going right at home, at least this is what the movie led the viewer to believe.
Michael, is walking in the rain one evening when a mother and father are driving by and sense that something does not seem right with the scenario of a youth walking alone at night in poor weather. The mother, Leigh Anne Tuohy, played by Sandra Bullock, lets Michael stay for one night which ends up becoming a long-term stay when Leigh Anne and her husband, Sean (Tim McGraw), decide to foster Michael. When Michael is getting adjusted to life at the house especially dinner time, Michael exhibits some hoarding behavior, which to a mental health provider is an indicator of neglect. Seeing as Michael came from a home where his mother abused drugs and his father was not in the picture this seems like a probable scenario.
Michael tells little about his troubled youth, there a bits and pieces of what trauma he had dealt with while living with his mother, but it is not enough to piece together his story. One part of the movie that left a lot to be desired was the lack of detail regarding what Michael had gone through, a lot is left to the imagination and makes it hard to understand necessarily where they youth came from and what he had to deal with. Academically we find that Michael has a very difficult time with school work and his teachers have to find unique ways to help Michael succeed. Michael is teased at school which may be another trauma in his life. For youth being made fun of can be a traumatizing part of life with youth excluding children that are different. Michael is excluded from socializing with children his age and often ends up playing with a younger group that is more willing to accept him.
Michael was able to overcome his academic challenges due to his want to be on the football team. Michael was not easily able to understand the game and struggled with learning the techniques. The coaches were frustrated with his lack of progress. Michael finally excelled at understanding the game when his foster mother put it into perspective for him. Michael had to defend himself all his life and when his foster mother explained that football was about defending the others on the team against the other team, Michael was able to understand and play the game. Michael became a popular choice for college drafts and then became a top choice for the National Football League (NFL).
Michael's story is a unique and inspiring one. Michael was able to overcome the odds stacked against him in the form of a traumatized history to be able to achieve his dreams. I have worked with troubled youth that are so burdened with their past that they can not let it go to achieve dreams that they have. I have also worked with troubled youth that were able to forgive their abusers and move on to achieve great things. Michael offers a perspective that may inspire troubled youth who need a push to get on the right track, having seen that Michael was able to get his life on the right track. Michael made some mistakes some that may be considered serious especially with the drug dealers that sold drugs to his mother but was able to come out on top even with these problems. Michael offers inspiration and hope for all the people that say I could never do that to achieve my dreams. Once they see that they can do it maybe people will take the steps to reach their dreams. In my opinion this movie was more than just a movie to me.
Reference: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0878804/