Posted by Alumni from The Conversation
December 11, 2025
Along with millions of others, I'll soon be taking 2 hours and 10 minutes out of my busy holiday schedule to sit down and watch a movie I've seen countless times before: Frank Capra's 'It's a Wonderful Life,' which tells the story of a man's existential crisis one Christmas Eve in the fictional town of Bedford Falls. In the film, protagonist George Bailey, who's played by Jimmy Stewart, is on the brink of suicide. He seems to have achieved the hallmarks of the American dream: He's taken over his father's loan business, married the love of his life and fathered four excessively adorable children. But George feels stifled and beaten down. His Uncle Billy has misplaced US$8,000 of the company's money, and the town's resident tyrant, Mr. Potter, is using the mishap to try to ruin George, who's his last remaining business competitor. An angel named Clarence is tasked with pulling George back from the brink. To stop him from attempting suicide, Clarence decides to show George what life... learn more