FARMINGTON, Pa. — The crushed stone along the quiet pathways here at the “Great Meadow” where Fort Necessity sits has always held wonder to me. Here is where 22-year-old George Washington, a brash, sometimes headstrong, but always ambitious young man trying to figure out his fate, suffered the first and only military surrender of his lifetime.
On the big screen, I’ve always imagined that the series of events that led to this moment, beginning with his run-in with the French Captain Jacques Legardeur de Saint-Pierre in present day Erie, to being shot point blank in Butler, to accidentally starting the French and Indian War in Jumonville Glen, would look vivid and stark — that they would show a man on his way to greatness despite failures along the way.
But after seeing the new film, Young Washington, and standing on the hollowed grounds of a meadow tucked away in the dense, green ridges of Fayette County, Pennsylvania, it is difficult to comprehend why it took so long for this story to be told.
Director Jon Erwin’s cinematic epic doesn’t give us the flawless, unblinking marble statue we see on the $1 bill. Instead, it gives us something far more valuable and deeply human: a gritty, honest look at a young man who failed miserably, but then picked himself up from a series of failures and learned how to lead.
If you’ve read historian Ron Chernow’s 2010 book Washington, you understand that Erwin masters the pacing of Washington’s life. Newcomer William Franklyn-Miller brings an athletic, fierce grit to the young Virginian officer. He captures Washington not as a myth, but as an ambitious young man who dealt with the loss of his father and the guidance and stability that went with him. Washington deals with, and adapts to, the brutal realities of a wilderness war.
The star-studded supporting cast—including Ben Kingsley, Andy Serkis as the doomed General Braddock, and Kelsey Grammer—adds a heavyweight gravitas to the frontier. They remind us that our nation’s foundation was forged by real people facing impossible choices.
The film’s best moments are set right here in western Pennsylvania, showcasing the chaotic, rain-soaked battle sequences of the French and Indian War.
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At Fort Necessity, Washington made terrible mistakes. He built his fort in a low, swampy meadow, and he signed a surrender document he couldn’t read because it was written in French.
But Young Washington reminds us that true character isn’t defined by a lack of failure; it is forged by how you respond to it. The film captures the spirit of a place like Fayette County: steeped in history, hardened by struggle, and stubbornly optimistic about tomorrow. It is a sincere storytelling and filmmaking that honors the complicated, messy, and ultimately triumphant spirit of the American journey.