Story Overview

Good Will Hunting follows Will Hunting (Matt Damon), a troubled yet extraordinarily gifted young man working as a janitor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Possessing a rare and instinctive genius for mathematics, Will repeatedly sabotages his own potential through reckless behavior and emotional isolation. His life takes an unexpected turn when his remarkable intellect is discovered by Professor Gerald Lambeau (Stellan Skarsgaard), a renowned mathematician who sees in Will a once-in-a-generation mind.

Professor Lambeau offers Will a chance to avoid prison under two strict conditions: he must work with Lambeau to develop his mathematical talent and attend regular therapy sessions. Reluctant and defiant at first, Will gradually finds himself confronted with the emotional wounds and unresolved trauma that have shaped his self-destructive patterns. His therapy sessions, led by an unconventional and deeply empathetic psychologist, become the true battleground where intellect gives way to vulnerability.

As Will navigates this uneasy path of personal growth, he also experiences love for the first time through a relationship that challenges his fear of intimacy and abandonment. Caught between the expectations imposed on him and the freedom he has never allowed himself to imagine, Will must ultimately decide whether to remain imprisoned by his past or step into an uncertain future shaped by choice, courage, and self-acceptance.