Movie Of Influence

A movie that has influenced me.

We all know that racism still exists in this country, unfortunately, and my father is one example still living. I have always hated the fact that he thinks so low of people who are just of different color, and I hate that he tried instilling his same beliefs in his children. Of course, when I became a teenager and I did not agree with my parents I just had to rebel. So, I dated guys who I knew my dad would not approve of. There was a movie I watched during this rebellion period of my life that I clicked with, just in spite of my father.

Save the Last Dance is about a white Midwestern girl named Sara who moved to Chicago and meets her soon to be boyfriend, who happens to be black. Not only does the fact that she is dating a black teen get my attention right away, but the fact that she dances is even more of a bonus, two for one deal. I never danced, but I loved hip hop and going to clubs. When I first watched the movie, it was just beginning my rebellion, so I had to learn everything I could from Sara and Derek, the mixed couple. In the midst of my learning session I got more interested in her dancing. My first thought of Sara was, "Wow she's got a great life! Her dad doesn't hassle her about her boyfriend and she can dance, real well."

As a watched Sara's story unravel on my fifteen inch TV I became entwined and her life became my life, or at least in my dreams. I wanted her body, I wanted her boyfriend, I wanted her father, and I wanted her moves. When she moved to Chicago, she met new people, made cool friends, and became popular. I had cool friends, but they could not dance and we were all pets on a short leash tied to our parents. Sara and her friends went where ever they wanted, whenever they wanted, and did whatever they wanted. I was not popular, but I was not hated. I was one of those people who did not belong to any certain group; I was just