When I saw "Forrest Gump" for the first time, I considered the opening image (the feather floating in a breeze) to be just a flourish - almost showing off what they can do with special effects.
But one thing I learned about Robert Zemeckis (the director) from the Back to the Future commentary is he doesn't believe special effects are not an end unto themselves. Special effects are only a tool to further the story.
So what's with the opening to "Forrest Gump", then?
In the movie's climax, Forrest visits Jenny's grave and tells her his view of life:
"I don't know if Momma was right or if, if it's Lieutenant Dan. I don't know if we each have a destiny, or if we're all just floating around accidental-like on a breeze, but I, I think maybe it's both. Maybe both is happening at the same time."
Lt. Dan believes we each have a destiny (pre-destination). Momma believes "we make our own destiny" and that "life is a box of chocolates" (free will). Forrest believes both.
The feather on a breeze flitters and floats this way and that. It's the very definition of random. But, with every twist of the breeze and every change of wind, the sum of all random chance, every possibility and every improbability is that it's exactly where it should be.
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