Kramer vs. Kramer

One of my favorites. Notice how the movie's important scenes involve elevator doors and walking through doors. After watching the movie, turn off the sound and replay Meryl Streep's courtroom crying scene and Dustin's scene when he gets fired.

25: Dustin boxes Meryl's things. At the office, Dustin does something new: he doesn't stay for a drink to listen to his boss tell a story, he has to be with his son. The birth of something new.

45: He helps his son ride a bike, he takes a photo and says "Don't go too far." He listens and converses with his son on the way to school. Unnoticed, Meryl observes. Now that I'm aware.

60 and -45: He's fired from his job, he begs his boss but he's let go. He knows he'll lose his son if he's unemployed. "Shame on you." Sounds of the street as he walks home - no music needed to dramatize the situation. There's no going back now and Discovery.

-25: Meryl gives her reasoning why the child should be with her. She knows leaving him was terrible but at that time she was incapable of functioning. She didn't know if she could take care of him. Her five and a half years of parenting ought to outweigh his eighteen months of parenting. Meryl wins the court case but decides that the best home for the child is the home he's in now. The final turning point.