Antwone Fisher FosterClub Movie Discussion Guide Note: Be sure to watch the special feature on the DVD entitled Meeting Antwone Fisher Summary of the Movie Antwone Fisher, a young navy man, is forced to see a psychiatrist after a violent outburst against a fellow crewman. During the course of treatment a painful past relating to his experiences in foster care is revealed and a hopeful future begins. Inspired by a true story. Cast: Derek Luke, Malcolm David Kelley, Cory Hodges, Denzel Washington, Joy Bryant, Salli Richardson-Whitfield, Novella Nelson. Length of time: 120 Minutes. Rating: Rated PG-13 for violence, language and mature thematic material involving child abuse. Themes relating to foster care Abuse Homelessness Permanence Fantasizing about biological family Relationships Anger Social Anxiety Self-Worth Resilience Foster homes Great ideas to make your movie night a blockbuster! Ways young people can make a difference… •
Have your class host a movie night at their school. Ask people to bring donations of _______ and have small groups in your class create small displays with foster care facts. Find facts at www.fosterclub.com.
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Invite someone from your local foster care agency to come and speak to the group and help lead the discussion at the end of the movie. Ask them if it would be possible to bring someone (over age 18) who actually spent time in foster care.
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Copyright © 2009 FosterClub, Inc. Permission granted to reproduce and distribute this document in print and online as long as it remains in it’s complete form, including this notice. Unauthorized reproduction of any portion of this content is strictly prohibited. FosterClub is the national network for young people in foster care, and illegal use of this material constitutes theft from the young people of FosterClub.
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Host a FosterClub Story Drive (see www.fosterclub.com/storydrive) and help raise awareness, money and books. YOU can help rewrite the story for kids in foster care!
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Plan Movie Night with your church youth group or scout troop, then hold a strategy session to design your own fundraising project for kids in foster care.
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Challenge your friends to donate a week of allowance every month to help a young person like Antwone. Call it the Fisher Fund! Contact FosterClub at 503-717-1552 to find out where to send donations.
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Visit fosterclub.com for ways you can promote awareness using Facebook, MySpace, twitter, and other social networking websites. Get involved!
Questions for your group (not specifically youth from foster care) 1) Antwone gets into a lot of fights. Do you think he fights because people have made him angry, or is he already angry? Is he really angry? What other emotions could a person be feeling that would come out as anger because they don’t know how else to express themselves? 2) When Antwone first goes to see the therapist, he is very vaque with information about his background. Why would he not just come out with all of his history? Is he hiding something? 3) Many teenagers in America CAN’T WAIT to start life on their own, away from their parents. But for Antwone, it’s a scary prospect. How do you think this contributes to his decision to join the Navy? Fact: In most states, when a young person turns 18 or graduates from high school (whichever comes last), they are required to move out of foster care and start life on their own. Often, they are not given money, a place to live, or transportation. This is reality for over 20,000 young people every year. 4) Antwone says that he should just go to the brig. Why? How would it be easier for Antwone to decide to go to the brig on his own easier for him than the alternative? 5) When his shipmates are talking about going home for the holiday, Antwone ignores the question. Why? Fact: Many foster youth who have aged out of the system have no place to go for the holidays. For former foster youth in college, it is not unusual to hear stories of being homeless during the holidays when the dorms close. Can you imagine the holidays without any family? Where would you go? 6) During the Thanksgiving dinner at the doctor’s house, Antwone is put into an awkward situation when the doctor’s father begins to ask him questions. Why would answering these types of questions be awkward for a foster youth? Do you think there is a stigma surrounding foster care?
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Copyright © 2009 FosterClub, Inc. Permission granted to reproduce and distribute this document in print and online as long as it remains in it’s complete form, including this notice. Unauthorized reproduction of any portion of this content is strictly prohibited. FosterClub is the national network for young people in foster care, and illegal use of this material constitutes theft from the young people of FosterClub.
7) If you were friends with Antwone, what do you think you could have done to help Antwone through some of the difficult things he experienced? Additional in-depth questions Suggested for use with young people in foster care. 8) During the opening scene, there is a young Antwone standing in the middle of a field, and then it goes onto to him entering a big barn with lots of people. What does this scene mean? Why would he be fantasizing about his biological family? Have you ever fantasized about someone being bigger than life and wanting something to happen just a certain way? Note: Many foster youth who have been away from family for years begin to imagine their family as being superstars and capable of doing the greatest of things. This often times leads to disappointment. 9) Antwone experiences trauma in many forms. How has he continued to rise through the pain? What is resilience? How did Antwone get it? Antwone is very nervous about his relationship with his girlfriend. Why? Does his past cause him to have a skewed image of a relationship? 10) Why would finding biological family be important? What are the different reasons a foster youth would want to find their biological family? Why is having a connection to even one member of biological family important? 11) The doctor at one point says the forgiveness is freeing yourself. Do you agree? Have you ever been in this situation?
To learn more, read our stories, and connect to foster youth visit www.fosterclub.com. About FosterClub FosterClub is the national network for young people in foster care. Every two minutes, a child’s life changes as they enter the foster care system. Currently, there are over 513,000 young people in foster care in across America. FosterClub is their club — a place to turn for advice, information, and hope. FosterClub helps open the way for these young people to transform their lives and provides a forum to raise their voice. Our members engage with peers and regain control over their situation through support, skill building, and healing opportunities. FosterClub’s young leaders achieve impressive levels of success as they demonstrate
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Copyright © 2009 FosterClub, Inc. Permission granted to reproduce and distribute this document in print and online as long as it remains in it’s complete form, including this notice. Unauthorized reproduction of any portion of this content is strictly prohibited. FosterClub is the national network for young people in foster care, and illegal use of this material constitutes theft from the young people of FosterClub.
remarkable resilience. Here they have real-life opportunities to become true heroes as they reach back to improve the foster care system for their younger peers. The members of FosterClub are resilient young people determined to build a better future for themselves and for other kids coming up through the system behind them. Their success depends on the generosity of concerned individuals and collaborations with partner organizations. If you would like to learn more about FosterClub, or how you can support young people in foster care, call 503-717-1552. FosterClub is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization. EIN 93-1287234.
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Copyright Š 2009 FosterClub, Inc. Permission granted to reproduce and distribute this document in print and online as long as it remains in it’s complete form, including this notice. Unauthorized reproduction of any portion of this content is strictly prohibited. FosterClub is the national network for young people in foster care, and illegal use of this material constitutes theft from the young people of FosterClub.