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Andrew Largeman Character Analysis

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Andrew Largeman (Zack Braff, Director and Writer) is a man unphased by situations around him. He and every other character live a, for the most part, unimpressive life with minor successes and major sorrows.
Andrew goes through life in a state of constant observation, taking in every detail, good or bad, with a blank expression until he meets a quirky girl named Sam, (Natalie Portman) at the doctor’s office, who has problems of her own. The two quickly bond and open up to each other in the awkward scene of a hamster funeral in Sam’s backyard. She does not break him entirely out of the wall he has up around himself, but she obviously lowers it in a few places and gains his trust even though she is ironically, a pathological liar.
Andrew has come back home to attend his mother’s funeral, but has been away for so long he has become estranged to his New Jersey hometown and everyone in it. The reunited …show more content…

Death of a loved one, feeling out of place in a town once called home, attempting to find ways to relate to those around you, feeling shame and guilt for past actions, having more empty worded conversations than meaningful ones, dealing with depression and anxiety, trying to establish, reestablish, or fix relationships, laughing at the small things, and finding passion in moments of heartache.
An overwhelming yet underlying theme throughout the movie is awkwardness, but the cinematography, music, character development, script writing, moments of subtle, witty humor and casting perfectly tie the quirky elements together creating a genius, relatable film. There are not any spectacular, “sweep you off your feet” moments, just real ones that are easy to connect and reflect on. Garden State (2004) is a must see for all millennials and a comfort for anyone who feels they might not have it all

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