Gifted Hands (2009): The Ben Carson Story Movie Review
This Movie is the story of Ben Carson, and what a remarkable story it is. The movie starts off at the most famous surgery of his career, conjoined twins at the head, and him taking the challenge on, but not sure how to perform the surgery successfully so that both babies are able to live full lives. And as he starts reading, while listening to classical music, the movie goes back in time to his childhood and leads us through the challenging life that he lived, and the experiences and choices that lead him to this pivotal moment in his life. We see the financial struggle and emotional struggle of his mother, Sonya, Ben’s challenges with school, needing glasses, poor grades and self-esteem, and racism. And Sonya’s belief in her boys and her strict rules that helped them to apply themselves mentally and ultimately prepared them for lives of significance and excellence.
Highlights
At the age of 9, his dad abandoned his family, and his mother Sonya raised him and his brother Curtis, working hard, with only a grade 3 education and a challenging story of her own, she stood strong and believed that an education was crucial to her boys being able to get better jobs that she was able to, and to get out of poverty. So despite Ben not doing well in school, she knew and kept telling him how smart he was, he just needed to use his imagination. She didn’t settle for what she saw physically with his grades, but knew that he himself was his own worst enemy as far as putting limitations and labels on himself due to his circumstances and what other people would said. Despite the difficulties of her childhood and all the challenges she faced as an adult, Sonya stayed a dreamer. She struggled with depression, but refused to let it overtake her, and had plans to better herself and her children. Her story in this story of her son, is key.
Her belief in her boys, and her expectations that she set for them, helped them to apply themselves, believe in themselves, and Ben went from a boy congratulated for getting D’s and not F’s, and a boy who at one point had major anger issues, to a man willing to take on impossible challenges, and a man with character and deep rooted belief in himself and in God. Mostly because of the bravery, strength and love of his mother. Ben’s ability to overcome his anger issues, and overcome his late start in a good education, racial prejudices’, as well as go onto an Ivy League University with a full scholarship, is amazing. And we see throughout his story the presence of God and his influence on Ben and Curtis’ life, from helping him with his anger, to inspiring him to pursue being a doctor through a sermon at church one Sunday.
Personal Impact
For me, I see that faith in God, and faith in oneself is powerful. As well as having people behind you who are a great support, and challenge you to live to a higher standard. I have faith in God, but often struggle with faith in myself. And I often lack the motivation and courage to get started, start moving, with some of my dreams. I think I’m realizing more and more through things like this movie, and other experiences, that I need to just take it one step at a time. But dream big, and step in the direction of those dreams, even if it means I might fail or fall down sometimes.
