The King’s Speech followed the ascension of Prince Albert as King George V to the throne of England and his struggle with speech impediments. I first saw this movie about 7 years ago, and it left no lasting impressions and I remember disliking the movie, thinking it boring. Maybe I didn’t pay enough attention or my taste in movies has changed, but this time around, I thought the movie was humorous and moving, and the characters were well-developed.

My biggest takeaway from the movie was how impactful personal relationships are in an individual’s life. The King’s childhood was strewn with people who overlooked him such as his family members. Lionel, the speech therapist, becomes a close friend of the King’s and genuinely believes in his capability and wishes him only the best, even risking treason to do so. This relationship serves as a secure safe haven for the King and allows him to become a more confident person and overcome his speech impediments. On the other hand, the King’s brother associates himself with a woman of loose morals and this affects the path his life takes as he is forced from the throne and loses respect from others. The connection between the people we surround ourselves with and our life outcome is clear. We are easily influenced by those around us and it’s important to choose our friends carefully.