Day #25 - All The Bright Places

Violet Markey is grieving the loss of her sister in a car accident. She is suffering with anxiety and PTSD from the event and has stopped living. Theodore Finch has his own dark past, but when he meets Violet on the ledge of the bridge where her sister died, he makes it his mission to help her move on and find the joy in life again.

Another stunning movie. Elle Fanning and Justice Smith play wonderfully off of each other. The way they both capture the pain and loneliness that these characters feel individually, and the happiness and completion that they feel when they're together is mesmerising.

Before you watch this film, please make sure to have tissues at the ready - those who have read the book will know why. All The Bright Places deals with grief, loss and heartbreak all at the same time. There are small pockets of pure, unadulterated joy throughout, but it is mostly raw misery -  in a way this makes the joyful moments extremely precious. These teenagers will make you feel things so intensely that it is overwhelming at times.

Despite this, you are left with a message of hope. Although this film is filled with darkness, the characters' journey to find the most meaningful places to them in Indiana shows the audience that there is beauty and light to be found even in the smallest of moments. Violet makes reference to a quote  that her sister would always say to her when she had a bad day, from her favourite poet, Cesare Pavese; "We do not remember the days, we remember the moments".

There's nothing else I can say about this film without ruining it! It's engaging, it's simple, it is beautiful. I urge you to watch it.