Several days ago, I watched a movie titled the Green Mile, kindly recommended by a friend of mine. It is the longest film I’ve ever seen, about three hours! However, I didn’t feel it was lengthy or boring. Even in the days after I saw that movie, some of the scenes kept popping up in front of my eyes.

The story was told in the first person by Paul Edgecombe, who was supervisor of the Cold Mountain Penitentiary Death Row. It was a special prison, for all the inmates had been convicted of various kinds of serious crimes such as murder. They would all be executed in an electric chair. The death house was nicknamed the Green Mile because of the green passage between the cells.  The Green Mile was, in fact, the final journey those felons would walk.

You can imagine how awful it would be to work as a guard in there, having to deal with those prisoners who knew their days were numbered. However, things began to change when John Coffey came. He was a huge black guy who was convicted of raping and murdering two white girls. Despite his intimidating massive form, he was actually very empathic and sensitive to the thoughts and feelings of others around him. He was very quiet and usually kept to himself, and was afraid of the dark.

However, he knew clearly what is good and bad, what is right and wrong, and was always ready to help. Over time people realized John possessed inexplicable healing abilities, which he used to cure Paul’s unbearable disease, and revive Mr. Jingles, a mouse. He even cured Warden Moore’s wife, who was dying of a brain tumor.

This film is an example of magical realism. The magical elements are blended with the real world. Therefore, you might think these are all real occurrences. However, I would rather believe in miracles. We’ve seen too many evil acts or crimes, which may blind our eyes, making us unable to see the brilliance of human nature. John Coffey was wronged, but faced with the death penalty, he was the calmest. He turned out to be innocent of what he was accused of, but he chose to die, anyway. Who will not be moved, seeing this scene? A kind heart may not solve all the problems we have, but justice will eventually conquer evil. Miracles will happen!