108 min
7.7
2020
USA
The plot is based on the bestseller of the same name by Jennifer Niven. This is the story of two young people, played by Elle Fanning and Justin Smith, who help each other to heal emotional wounds and correct the mistakes of the past.
The theme of mental health problems is often central in Netflix films aimed at mass teen audiences. One can endlessly argue how romanticized all the terrible things that can occur on the path of life are shown in TV shows and films. Therefore, All the Bright Places is a kind of pearl that leads you to the correct, bright path. Even with its excellent visual narrative, the film does not cause delight. However, its mission is not cinematic, but social, which is definitely not a drawback, because you need to evaluate this movie differently.
Briefly about the plot. Graduation class, the summer is approaching. The history teacher gives the students an important task – to visit two wonderful places in Indiana so that they will have pleasant memories of home in their memory, which would warm them when they are away from their home state.
Violet (Elle Fanning) recently lost her sister in a car accident. Now her life is not bright. It seems to be a series of dark gray spots. Theodore (Justice Smith), accidentally meets Violet on the bridge during an evening run. The girl cannot understand her feelings, so she does not dare to take a terrible step – to jump from the bridge. By chance, as it happens in life, the right people are there at the right time. And this meeting becomes fateful for both young people. Working together on the project, Theodore helps Violet cope with the heartache, feel the taste of life again, and bring her light into this world. But by saving Violet, can he help himself?
The viewer learns more and more details about Violet, while Theodore's figure remains a big mystery. Who is this person? What past does he have? Having accepted a one-sided storytelling technique, we stop trying to snatch something new about the character, but in the meantime, more and more questions arise, especially from people unfamiliar with psychological problems. “He behaves strangely, he skips school. He's a freak,” classmates say about Theodore, not suspecting what difficulties a person could face.
It is sad to realize that sometimes, completely bogged down in our own problems, we do not notice how loved ones suffer: be it family members or friends. People rarely put themselves in someone else’s shoes. They rarely think about others’ feelings and emotional experiences. At the same time, they do not share their moral and physical struggles: they are afraid to burden others.
All the Bright Places is not only a film, but also a social project, the mission of which is to help people facing psychological problems or the loss of loved ones.
Patricia wrote:
