the man without a face

Director: mel gibson

Actor: mel gibson,nick stahl,margaret whitton,fay masterson

Data Published: Wed Aug 25 1993

Genres: Drama

Key Words: directorial debut,disfigured face,directed by star,coming of age,disfigurement

IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0107501/

WIKI: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Man_Without_a_Face

Description: The Man Without a Face is a movie starring Mel Gibson, Nick Stahl, and Margaret Whitton. Chuck wants to leave home but can't make the grade for boarding school. Then he finds out the disfigured recluse living nearby is an ex-teacher.

Plot: In 1968, Justin McLeod has been living an isolated existence as a reclusive painter for the past seven years, following a car accident which left him disfigured on the right side of his face and chest by burns sustained in a post-crash fire. Young Chuck Nordstadt endures a dysfunctional relationship with his sister and their widowed mother. One day, Chuck meets McLeod on a ferry; Chuck is both intrigued and slightly scared of him. Chuck needs a tutor to help him pass a military academy's entrance exam. Eventually, Chuck persuades McLeod to become his teacher; although he is initially baffled by McLeod's unorthodox methods, the two develop a close friendship. Chuck keeps his daily meetings with McLeod a secret, to avoid being scorned for associating with a disfigured man whose past is shrouded in mystery. No one knows much about McLeod and few people have ever made an effort to know him; this has made McLeod the object of gossip, speculation, and suspicion. Ultimately, Widow Nordstadt learns that her son has been visiting McLeod. She and the rest of the town convince themselves that McLeod is molesting Chuck, despite Chuck's adamant denials. Chuck researches McLeod's car accident, which involved the death of another boy, hence McLeod's fear of another attachment. Chuck is forcibly taken to a psychiatrist, who Chuck accurately suspects is also biased against McLeod. Chuck inevitably confronts McLeod to learn the truth of his disfigurement and to discover the identity of that youth who was killed in the same car crash. As it turns out, the other boy was a student of McLeod's. Consequently, McLeod was unjustly branded a pedophile, was exiled from his hometown, was convicted of involuntary manslaughter and served three years in prison. Once his relationship with Chuck is openly known, McLeod is once again run out of town and ordered by the authorities to have no contact with Chuck. On his way out of town, McLeod leaves Chuck a note; it wishes him the best of luck in his academic goals and reminds him to be tolerant with people who are different. In the film's finale, Chuck is shown graduating from the military academy as his sister and their mom look on proudly. Chuck sees a familiar figure in the background and recognizes it as his "faceless" tutor.