NAME: ANGEL MAHA

MATRICULATION NUMBER: 17BE022081

COURSE CODE: MAC 412

TEST TWO

CRITIQUE OF THE ULTIMATE GIFT

INTRODUCTION

The ultimate gift is a drama movie adapted from a novel of the same title by Jim Stovall. The
story is about a young man named Jason Stevens. Jason went through 12 tasks given to him
by his late grandfather, Howard (Red) Stevens, in order for him to get his inheritance. His
close friend, Mr Theophilus Hamilton, was asked to supervise Jason as he completed the
tasks. In the difficult process of completing the tasks, Jason went through changes and
experiences that made him a better person than he was. At the end of the movie, he not only
completed the tasks, but he surpassed the limitations set for him and inherited his late
grandfather’s company as well.

CONFLICT

Conflict can be seen in this film both internally and externally in the character of Jason
Stevens. The internal conflict can first be seen when Jason was told he had an inheritance
from his grandfather but he would need to complete some tasks. Jason wanted to forget about
whatever inheritance he might have because he had to complete 12 tasks given to him by his
grandfather, who he held a grudge against since before he died. On the other hand, Jason
wanted to live a comfortable life as he always had, and he knew he needed money to do so.
Jason also faced internal conflict after he had asked Emily, a young girl he met in the park, to
be his friend in order to clear on of the tasks. After proving to Mr Hamilton, that he had made
a friend in Emily, he blew her off when she tried to continue the friendship. He later came
into contact with her when he had to return her mother’s wallet after finding it. In the process
of doing so, he found out she had leukaemia, and that her mother had financial issues. Jason
felt conflicted as he had decided not to relate with her anymore after she had helped him with
a task, but upon finding out more about her and her mother, he felt sorry for her and guilty for
disappointing her.
Regarding external conflict, Jason faced such with his mother early in the film when he
wanted to stay with her in her home. She did not allow him because she had been told that if
she did, she would lose her own inheritance from Red Stevens. Jason also faced external
conflict when his money and property were taken away as part of the conditions for one of
the tasks. Since his home was taken from him, he had to sleep on a bench in the park, then a
homeless man came and said the bench was his, even though there were other vacant benches
in the park. Jason refused to leave the bench and they ended up fighting about it.

CHARACTERIZATION

Characterisation through dialogue

Howard Stevens had passed away prior to the start of the film, so the only times his character
appeared were in a video he had prepared to address his grandson, Jason, and his voice was
heard off screen in a scene where his friend, Mr Hamilton was remembering him. In those
instances where his character appeared. He was polite and honest. He spoke calmly but in a
firm manner as well. In the scene where he told Jason….. he knew Jason’s personality so well
that he knew he would have gotten up to leave at that point, he went further to tell Jason to sit
back down.

When he talked about the death of Jason’s father, Jay Howard Stevens, he began to cry and
became so overcome with emotion that Mr Hamilton, who was present as he was recording
the video, told the videographer to stop recording. He showed guilt when he apologised to
Jason over what happened to his father and how he felt responsible for it because his father
was in Ecuador working for him when he died.

By designing the 12 tasks for Jason and referring to them as gifts, one can see how Red was
determined not to give up on Jason becoming a better person than how he was before he died.
He expressed disappointment at how his children, Jason’s uncles and aunt had become spoilt
and while he wanted better for Jason, he was not going to force him to go through those tasks
either. He was the kind of person who would not force his life views or values on someone
and he loved his family so much that despite how their way of life disappointed him, he still
left them an inheritance, even Jason’s mother.

Characterisation through the reaction of other characters

During Red’s funeral, his sons, Bill and Jack Stevens were talking about how he was
probably laughing at them as they were getting soaked in the rain during his funeral. During a
thanksgiving dinner also, Bill mentioned how relieving it was that Red wasn’t around that
year to talk about his endless litany of cliché quotes like he always did. This shows that they
were not close to their late father, and they also did not share his values. They also showed no
sadness or remorse at his death, they were instead concerned only about what their
inheritance would be. And when their inheritance was revealed to not be up to their
expectation, each of Red’s children expressed displeasure. All this shows his shortcomings in
raising them to be proper people.

However, at his funeral, Alexia and her daughter, Emily were present. Later on in the film,
Alexia mentioned how it was because of how grateful they were to Red. This is an example
of how Red had touched the lives of others. Mr Hamilton, Red’s close friend and lawyer,
mentioned in the film how Red donated a kidney for him when he needed it and how grateful
he was to him for doing so. In essence, while Red’s own children barely missed him when he
died, others who were touched by his actions in their lives saw him as a great man.

SYMBOLISM

Symbolism was applied at the end of the film when Jason and Alexia were sitting together in
a park and a butterfly flew by. The butterfly symbolizes Emily still watching them. Earlier in
the film Emily talked about how she would want her place in heaven to have a lot of
butterflies and how God paints the colours on butterflies with His finger. This shows how
much of an interest she had in butterflies.

Also, at the end of the film, right after the scene where Jason and Alexia are mourning the
death of Emily, a series of shots showing different statues looking down was shown. This
symbolizes the sad mood some of the casts experienced after Emily died

SUSPENSE

Suspense was seen in the film when Mr Hamilton called Jason as he was about to leave
without hearing if he had an inheritance or not. It was not clear what choice he would make,
whether he would choose to listen to what his inheritance was or if he would walk away as he
planned to. There was also suspense when Jason was in Ecuador and he woke up very early
in the morning to go to where his father died. The suspense had to do with not knowing what
he would find or if he would be safe while going there. There was also suspense when Jason
was captured by militants in Ecuador, it was not certain if he and the man he was captured
with would leave there alive or in one piece, or if they would be rescued.
Also, towards the end of the film, Jason was making a presentation on Emily’s home, the
hospital he planned to build, when Alexia, who was present, received a call that made her
rush out. Jason, suspected the call had to do with Emily and rushed out as well. There was
uncertainty as to what had happened exactly, if it had to do with Emily, if she had died, was
in critical condition, if a miracle had occurred or any other thing.