The movie, Secondhand Lions, is the story of a young boy (Walter) who is dropped off at the home of his two elderly uncles (Uncle Hub and Uncle Garth) by his single mother. There are rumors surrounding Uncle Hub and Uncle Garth’s past lives and speculation that they have millions of dollars hidden on their land. Relatives and strangers hope to find or inherit some of the cash. Both uncles are reluctant to have Walter at their home and view him as a nuisance. Uncle Garth beings to tell Walter tails of him and Hub’s adventures as young men serving in the French Foreign Lesion during World War I. Uncle Hub is a wild character, who seems to be desperately trying to hold onto his youth and prove that he is still as strong and capable as ever.
On the next page is a scanned copy of the Geriatric Depression Scale Short Form (Greenburg, 2012) completed with answers the way I assume Uncle Hub would answer the questions if asked. The completed GDS for Uncle Hub indicate that he is depressed with a score of 8. At the beginning of the movie, Uncle Hub does seem to be depressed. He talks about death and says things like, “I’m old, I won’t be here much longer” and “you don’t need me, I’m too old”. He tries to load a truck with bags of lion food and ends up passing out. He becomes angry that he is in the hospital after doing a task that was once easy for me. He seems bored with life and just sits on the front porch most days. Uncle Hub seems to have lost his sense of purpose in life. He’s frustrated that he can’t do things that he once did.
However, as the movie progresses and the relationship between him and Walter grows. The turning point in the movie, related to Uncle Hub’s depression, is when Walter asks Uncle Hub to give him the “what everyman needs to know about being a man” speech. At first, Uncle Hub says that can’t because he will be gone. Walter insists and tell him that he needs him. At this point, I think Uncle Hub realizes that he has a purpose and that purpose is to care for Walter. Uncle Hub’s attitude begins to change and he seems happier.
The movie, Secondhand Lions, is a story of two elderly uncles who are called to care for their preteen nephew. Throughout