Temple Grandin Vs Invictus

Academy Awards are given to the best of the best in the film industry. Generally these films have memorable scenes, hold the viewers’ attention till the very end, and resonate with the audience. The finalists for the award for Best Screenplay are “Temple Grandin” and “Invictus”. “Temple Grandin” is about a young woman with autism who broke barriers with her unique out-of-the-box thinking and became one of the top scientists in the humane livestock handling industry. “Invictus” is about Nelson Mandela’s first term as president of South Africa and his efforts to unite the post-apartheid country by enlisting the country’s official rugby team to win the 1995 Rugby World Cup. Both films were about people who contributed amazing things for the betterment
of their worlds; but “Invictus” deserves the award. Both finalists had memorable scenes. My favorite scene from “Temple Grandin” was when Temple was attending high school she met a science professor named Dr. Carlock who became her mentor. It was Dr. Carlock who first noticed that Temple learned from visual cues. In order for the school administration to let him mentor Temple, Dr. Carlock “tasked” Temple to recreate an optical illusion. She spent weeks trying to figure out how to recreate the illusion and when she finally figured it out, she built the optical illusion room; the administration jumped onboard with his idea. Not only did the film show how Temple was able to figure out how the illusion worked, it also showed how her thought process but “Invictus” had more emotional moments. My favorite scene from “Invictus” was when Nelson Mandela’s bodyguards were playing rugby in the front yard. When the black bodyguards met the white bodyguards, there was a lot of tension between the two groups. They didn’t meet eye to eye. The white group was once part of the police that had arrested blacks in South Africa and the black group was not comfortable working with them. Nelson Mandela, on the other hand, requested the two groups put aside their differences and work together. As the Springboks’, the South African rugby team, continued in their victories in their matches, the two groups grew to respect each other. During an important match in the World Cup, the white group decided to teach the black group how to play the game. Nelson Mandela turned to his advisors and said, “Still think I’m wasting my time on rugby?” This scene showed how Nelson Mandela’s effort to bring the people together through rugby was working. People were putting aside their differences and coming together to cheer on their team. A good film can hold the viewer’s attention for the entire film.
“Temple Grandin” shows the viewers how she was able to feel what the cattle felt. Temple was able to invent a more humane way to handle cattle in ranches and slaughterhouses. Her unique thought process made it possible for her to “read” how the cattle reacted to the bath, the handlers and even redesigned slaughterhouses. The viewer is able to glimpse how Temple’s out-of-the-box thinking comes about through the film however “Invictus” creats more suspense for viewers. “Invictus” portrays Nelson Mandela’s efforts to unite their country and to change their minds about each other. Not only did Nelson Mandela have to take care of affairs of the state but he had to deal with controlling racism in his country. He had to meet with dignitaries of other nations to maintain the country’s healthy relationships with its allies. All the while, he had to boost his country’s morale and bring them together. The film showed the stress he put on himself and even though his life depended on it, he never took a sick day
willingly. The two films resonated with audiences on personal levels.
In “Temple Grandin”, Temple was treated with sexism on a cattle ranch when she was applying for her masters in animal husbandry. In order for her to be able to pass through the security guard, Temple had to buy a truck, cover it in mud, dress in a long sleeved button down shirt and then cover herself in dirt. This scene showed what many women have to face in their everyday lives, even in today’s times. “Temple Grandin” showed the obstacles one woman had to go through in order to be able to accomplish her goals but “Invictus” echoed with the viewers more. In “Invictus”, many people in the country did not have much faith in the rugby team, the Springboks. The country did not believe that the Springboks would make it to the World Cup. Nelson Mandela met with the captain of the Springboks, Francois Peinaar and enlists his help to unite South Africa through rugby. The Springboks begin a strict training regime after Francois’ meeting and they start to win more matches that lead them to entering the World Cup. Each victory brought the people closer together and restored faith in the Springboks. This sequence showed how it took one person to inspire a group of people to be better than they were
before. In the end, both films were outstanding. They both had memorable scenes, captured the audiences’ attention and they both resonated with the viewers. They both were based on people who overcame tremendous obstacles to reach their goals. They may have lived in different worlds with different problems but their achievements were no less. But sadly, only one film can receive the award for Best Screenplay and in my opinion, “Invictus” was the better of the two finalists.