True genius is certainly an intangible concept, one that is unable to be fully analyzed or understood. But that still doesn't keep many from challenging their own ability to comprehend. Some people will spend hours upon hours of analytical thought, trying to decipher what an artist "meant" while reaching into their own solitary soul of passion and expressing themselves through some form of art.

"Finding Forrester" is a very intelligent movie that carefully examines both sides of this idea, not only showing us the behavioral patterns of those with a distinctive hidden talent, but also how individuals with slightly less talent can easily slip into a swamp of self-loathing behavior.

Two geniuses hold the center of the story. One is a Pulitzer Prize-winning writer; a belletristic talent who penned a classic novel four decades ago, then curiously went into hiding having never published another word. The other is a brash teen from the South Bronx; a genuine talent on the basketball court, but who has also read books most kids his age haven't even heard of. Whenever he gets the chance, he subtly pulls out his notebook and scribes his thoughts ... simple, true, and put into words that echo pure pulchritude.

Sixteen year old Jamal Wallace (newcomer Rob Brown) and his friends ritually meet at the basketball court every day, releasing their concerns in a sport that frees their minds and invigorates their spirits. While at the very same moment, far above the court through a socially fissile window, the curious eyes of William Forrester (Sean Connery) look on. The boys are keenly aware that he may be watching, but they have no idea who he really is. Only through a plethora of myths do they acknowledge him. He is referred to as "The Window" and is attached to various rumors, one that claimed he's a killer, another one has him as a socially inept post-war presence.

One night on a dare, Jamal sneaks into the old man's apartment through the partially open window and after a quick exploration of his abode, accidentally leaves behind his backpack; inside rests his notebook full of writings. The next day, his pack is tossed to the street below. But to Jamal's shock, his notebook has been inundated with ink marks, some critical of his writing style, others captivated with the poetic meaning behind Jamal's conjoined words.

He returns to the man's apartment (this time in a more practical manner, going to the front door), and asks him if he wouldn't mind offering his opinion on some of his other writings. After overcoming their initial hesitation in allowing each other into their lives, the two strangers finally break down the communication barriers and set the first building blocks of a lasting friendship in place.

Meanwhile, Jamal's test scores have made him very appealing to a private school in Manhattan, one that has a marvelous academic program, but that coincidentally needs a star basketball player to possibly facilitate a championship. Jamal decides to attend, more for academic reasons, and while there, must fight to overcome prejudicial attitudes from some who question his talent, and others who are suspicious of his background. He encounters both a close friend; the intelligent, perceptive Claire Spence (Anna Paquin) who sees the good in him immediately, and a vociferous adversary; the autocratic Professor Crawford (F. Murray Abraham), a brilliant man with some questionable motives.

When Jamal's self-respect and future both rest upon a tenuous line, both he and the reclusive William Forrester must reach deep within themselves to locate the courage that will elevate them above that which has weighed them down.

What really struck me about "Finding Forrester" isn't the emotional impact within the story, but rather the logic surrounding it. Stories like this have been told before, yet few incorporate such a solid dialectic, resorting instead to a series of somewhat contrived developments. Here, everything makes sense.

Despite his inherent brilliance (or perhaps because of it), William Forrester spent much of his life surrounded by people who talked more about him than actually to him. His Great American Twentieth Century Novel has garnered so much acclaim and invited so much analysis, its author has been prematurely placed atop a pedestal, one also occupied by authors long gone. As a result, Forrester has displaced himself from the comfort of human companionship, sadly viewing his own existence in the same antipodean light as those who idealize him. His reclusiveness isn't mired in a state of contrivance. It makes perfect sense given his situation.

As the autocratic enemy, F. Murray Abraham plays a character whose arrogance and condescending demeanor don't defy plot logic, either. Here is a man who tried desperately to get his own writings published, but was sadly rejected. Now he spends his days teaching the city's most brilliant students, each one possessing the ability to surpass him in the very arena he dreamed of being successful. Lined along the back wall of his classroom rest portraits of famous writers from years gone by. To face those paintings day after day with the realization that his own dreams of glory have dissipated before his eyes would make the drainage of any kind of compassion on his part to some degree understandable, in addition to being morally questionable.

But I think the most fascinating character is Jamal himself, embodied in a flawless performance by newcomer Rob Brown. He doesn't overplay the emotional elements his character is faced with, but portrays him as a fiercely determined kid who won't shy away from doing the morally right thing, yet never feels the need to make himself the poster child for all those oppressed in the past. Brown somehow finds the right balance between standing tall in the face of opposition without glamorizing his tenacity.

Sean Connery is always in top form, even if some of the projects he chooses aren't. Here he occupies a terrific role, playing a man whose social displacement is so subtle, he doesn't even realize it himself until confronted with the need to help someone who has reached out to him as a person, not a legendary author. Still feeling the effects of a very personal loss, his finest moment comes after Jamal takes him out of his secluded home for the first time in years. They arrive back at the apartment. Forrester thanks him, telling him it was the best time he's had in years, then impulsively closes the door before the word "goodbye" can be spoken. The word connotes a degree of personal closeness; an elusive and frightening concept to the reclusive William Forrester.

The film was directed by Gus Van Sant and written by Mike Rich. Together, they've created a story that doesn't force certain issues, but one that simply observes two geniuses; the teacher who cultivates the student's genuine talent, and the student who reconnects the teacher with the spender that surrounds him. "Finding Forrester" is a movie that realizes true growth doesn't sprout from a seed of analysis, but from the simple realization that while beauty may emanate from the creation of artists, enlightenment derives from the ability to allow those we know to assist us in discovering the best in ourselves. On that score, we are all artists.