'127 Hours'

While exploring a remote Utah canyon all on his own and without telling anyone where he was going, Ralston slips on a loose rock which crushes his arm and pins him to the canyon floor. No one knows where he is, and no one suspects anything is wrong. He spends the next 127 hours trying to free himself from the immovable rock. All the while, he has visions, hallucinations, and flashbacks of his past. He soon realizes if he doesn't get out of the canyon fast, he will definitely die.

This story is much more than just an outdoor suspense drama, it's also a reflection on the central character's life and the choices he has made. He comes to a realization of his own selfishness/arrogance, and becomes humbled by the fact that he really can't do everything all on his own. Toward the very end, he states, "this boulder has been here waiting just for me my whole life". He takes this as a sign--a sign that things need to change. He realizes just how much he has broken a young girl's heart, and how he will never have her back. He even has a premonition of a young boy in the canyon with him, sitting beside him and encouraging him. It is not revealed who the boy is until the very end. This was especially touching to me, because I immediately thought of my two sons. The final scene is quite graphic and somewhat hard to watch, so those with queasy stomachs might need to turn away. But, the sheer amazing fact that this actually happened is both astounding and awe-inspiring.

This story should make everyone reevaluate what they hold dear and what their priorities are in life. Above all, it should teach a valuable lesson that, sometimes, there is a hefty price to pay for trying to do everything on our own.