The Core Principles of “Luck”
Skydance Animation has been making waves with “Luck,” its first feature film. This fantasy comedy stars Eva Noblezada as Sam Greenfield, the story’s unlucky but optimistic protagonist. People of all ages can learn a thing or two from Sam and her experiences.
“Luck” is essentially a coming-of-age film with Sam learning how to live as an adult after spending her childhood in foster care. Sam tends to be clumsy and runs into unfortunate circumstances on a regular basis, but she doesn’t let this get her down. Her primary concern is helping her younger friend, Hazel, leave foster care and find a home. From the get-go, “Luck” highlights selflessness and unconditional love. Despite how bad Sam’s own life is, she puts her friend in front of her.
The plot thickens when Sam stumbles upon a penny that seems to carry good luck with it. Sam is hopeful that this penny can help Hazel get adopted, but the coin is eventually flushed down the toilet. Sam then goes on a quest to retrieve this coin, entering portals to magical worlds in the process. Sam’s new friend, a talking black cat named Bob, helps her on her journey.
Chance
One of the fundamental themes of “Luck” is random chance. Many kids don’t understand why bad things happen and they immediately assume that someone must be at fault. An important aspect of maturity is realizing that sometimes things just happen regardless of a person’s actions. This does not mean that a person can’t do anything to fix a problem, but it does mean that adaptability is often needed when matters change. As an 18-year-old woman, Sam quickly learns that she must accept the fact that the good and the bad often come together as a unit.
Opposing Realms
“Luck” is loaded with beautiful metaphors that illustrate its lessons in a way that kids can understand. There’s a realm called the Land of Luck where leprechauns manufacture “good luck stones” in a factory-like setting. The creatures then dispense the stones throughout the regular world at random. There’s also a Land of Bad Luck where misfortunes are manufactured. It becomes apparent that both of these realms are necessary. Just as day can’t exist without night and shadows can’t exist without light, good and bad luck have a necessary relationship with each other.
The Land of Luck Game
The Land of Luck game goes further in showing kids how chance occurrences tend to happen. This board game comes with cards that represent spaces on the board. Players must bid for the right cards, which involves strategy, but some players will have more opportunities to win than others. This type of gameplay reflects real life: Sometimes luck and skill work for each other, while other times, they work against each other. It all depends on the circumstance.
“Luck” can be streamed anywhere on Apple TV+. The movie’s influence is just starting to catch on with people around the world. “Luck” is lighthearted and funny while containing strong principles under the surface.