With late April moving in and finals season looming over Grounds, many need a little extra motivation to close out the spring semester strong. Between late nights at the library, long essays and grueling exams that seem to multiply each day, it can feel like students at the University are scrambling for a life raft to float into summer on.
In moments like these, cinema can help ground anxious students stressed about academics. This selection of three films show characters navigating similar challenges, in high-pressure academic scenarios or dramatic life situations where they must find ways to come out on top. Each of these characters either attended the University or are otherwise connected to Grounds, prompting the thought “they’re just like me, for real,” in the ways they respond to much grander examples of the adversity this impending finals season may pose.
“The Silence of the Lambs” (1991)
Director Jonathan Demme’s “Big Five” Oscar winning film “The Silence of the Lambs” — awarded Best Picture, Director, Actor, Actress and Screenplay at the 64th Academy Awards — follows Jodie Foster’s character Clarice Starling, a University alumna and FBI trainee. Starling double-majored in psychology and criminology, applying her training to enlist the help of incarcerated murderer Dr. Hannibal Lecter in order to track down serial killer Buffalo Bill, the two villains played by Anthony Hopkins and Ted Levine, respectively.
Starling stands as a cinematic example of the excellence that the University produces through her determination, grit and wit in a male-dominated field. Throughout the film, Starling is tested not only by the difficulty of her assignment but also by the psychological intensity of her case. The constant mind games played with Lecter, the lack of time she has to save Catherine Martin and her being constantly overlooked and disrespected in her field all challenge Clarice’s mental stability and durability.
Yet, she continues to push forward, relying on her intelligence, preparation and instincts. Her journey to save Buffalo Bill’s victims relies on her analysis of Lecter’s cryptic clues and her ability to apply her training in dangerous situations. Her success shows how, in moments of uncertainty and stress, acting methodically with persistence can help navigate the greatest of challenges. Referring back to her time at the University as a boon to her altercations with Lecter, Starling says, “I graduated from U.Va., Doctor. It is not a charm school.”
“Hidden Figures” (2016)
“Hidden Figures,” directed by Theodore Melfi, is based on the book written by Class of 1991 alumna Margot Lee Shetterly, which tells the true story of the three African American female mathematicians at NASA who played crucial roles in the success of the Mercury-Atlas 6 mission in 1962. One of the film’s central figures, Mary Jackson, played by Janelle Monáe, became the first Black engineer at NASA by taking graduate-level courses through the University.
Throughout the film, Jackson and her colleagues repeatedly persevere and prove themselves in the face of systemic discrimination and Jim Crow laws, which create institutional barriers that limit equal treatment and access to opportunities in the workplace. Their mathematical prowess and brilliance is undeniable, however, and culminates in a powerful scene where Al Harrison, fictional director of the NASA Space Task Group — played by Kevin Costner — finally removes the “Colored Ladies Room” sign in the office.
Mary Jackson and her colleagues’ skill broke down seemingly insurmountable institutional barriers. Their journeys remind that, even in unfair environments with weights that feel near-impossible to carry, consistent effort and unrelenting determination will eventually lead to achievement — all values reflected in Jackson’s pursuit of education through the University.
“True Colors” (1991)
Set within the University's School of Law, “True Colors,” directed by Herbert Ross, follows two close students — Peter Burton, played by John Cusack and Tim Gerrity, played by James Spader — as they navigate law school and their future career paths. Along their growth as students and professionals, the two diverge in the lengths they are willing to go for traditional success.
The movie fully immerses viewers in the environment of the University with many scenes being shot in Charlottesville and on Grounds. Audiences will spot many familiar locations such as the Lawn, the Rotunda and Brown College lingering throughout its runtime. At its core, the film explores how ambition and the pursuit of career prestige can strain close relationships.
Gerrity and Burton are pulled in different directions by their backgrounds and aspirations, the former coming from affluence with the latter being low-income, striving to achieve a gainful congressional career by any means necessary. Ultimately, the film reflects that success is defined not only by outcomes, but by the values and sense of honor individuals choose to uphold when faced with uncertainty and pressure. Ahead of a demanding finals season, similarly high-pressure moments will test how students uphold their values and relationships in pursuit of success.
Relatable characters in cinema can reinforce character traits in audiences, and these picks have protagonists who embody resilience and perseverance in arduous circumstances. As finals season rolls around, these characters remind viewers to power through — and not avoid — pressure and hardship. From double-major alumni to world-class mathematicians and ambitious law school students, persistence remains essential in the pursuit of academic success — in whatever form it may take.
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