Peaceful Warrior
This movie is based on the autobiographical novel by Dan Millman. It tells his story of being a gymnast at Berkeley with hopes of going to the Olympics, navigating through the college activities of partying, drinking and sleeping around, but through training with a mystery man called Socrates, a mystery girl named Joy, and a motorcycle accident, he comes to realize that “there are no ordinary moments”.
I really enjoyed the movie. The concepts behind the training with Socrates are familiar to yogis (e.g. are you paying attention?). I would say that the movie caters to an audience who doesn’t mind watching a young man’s “typical” college party behaviors in the journey to a more peaceful self. There are many shots of the campus and University Avenue throughout the movie.
The following is the synopsis from the movie website http://www.thepeacefulwarriormovie.com/:
“Dan Millman (Scott Mechlowicz) is a talented college gymnast with Olympic dreams. He has it all: trophies, teammates, fast motorcycles, fast girls and wild parties. Then Dan’s world is turned upside down when he meets a mysterious stranger he calls Socrates (Nick Nolte), who holds the power to tap into new worlds of strength and understanding. After a serious injury, with the help of Socrates and an elusive young woman named Joy (Amy Smart), Dan discovers that he has much to learn and even more to leave behind before he can become a peaceful warrior and find his destiny. This moving tale about the power of the human spirit is based on Dan Millman’s best-selling autobiographical novel, Way of the Peaceful Warrior.”
~Jen