All The Bright Places is a movie directed by Brett Harley on the bestselling novel by Jennifer Niven.
This movie is about the life of actors Theodore Finch(Justice Smith) and Violet Markey(Elle Fanning) after their paths crossed. Finch calls her ultraviolet because according to him, “she’s all the colors in one,at full brightness”.
Violet is still recovering from losing her sister, Eleanor Markey in a car accident and is shutting everyone and everything out until she met Finch, the “freak” from school. Finch is this anti-social teenager suffering from depression sometimes to suicidal lengths. He snaps in and out of a trans state of being normal( staying “awake”) and going mental(“asleep”).
They met first when Finch went jogging on early morning and met Violet standing on a bridge, the site of the accident that led to her sister’s death in somewhat of something that looked like she wanted to commit suicide and Finch talks her down off it. She later tells him she was actually there because it was her sister’s birthday.
The relationship between the two start out when the two partner up in a class project to report on some wonders of Indiana, their town.
The two become friends(you could say lovers to some extent) and Finch tries to help her have fun, recover and get back out there into the world. But does she actually ever recover and move on with her life? Check the movie out to find out
Some of my favorite short quotes from the movie are:
“we do not remember days, we remember moments”
“People are always gonna talk. It’s their specialty”
I think this movie is a really great movie and a lot of people need to see it and to appreciate that just because someone doesn’t act what is standard as normal doesn’t make them crazy and that we all deal with stress situations in different ways. It is our judgement, behavior and support in those times of crisis that will help them make a come through even in the worst cases of mental health.
This movie shows you that everybody “weird” or normal is special in their own way and shouldn’t let what other people think about them oppress them. Live your life at your own pace, doing things how you want. It doesn’t matter what label or tag people put on you for being different. We’re supposed to be different, to be unique, special.
The movie has a good storyline and nice settings and shows some really beautiful places and moments. And the background music is good too. Flows with the moments and feelings. I love Keagan DeWitt’s your turn playing in the background.
I like this movie because I relate to it a lot. A little bit to the freak part, I’m a little anti-social in person sometimes and about not exactly fitting in. I’m an ambivert(I learnt this word a few days ago from a friend😅). Also I think his Idea of going away to quiet places and places of nature like the pond when he is overwhelmed to feel like himself and to do things to remind himself that he is in control is really good. He talks about how he goes blank sometimes because he’s thinking too fast and can’t keep track of things and how his quote board helps him focus and slow down. This happens to me sometimes when I’m under pressure.
The ending of the movie is kind of twisted though because Finch pushes Violet away after his relapse and and goes on to commit suicide without as much of a goodbye. On the good side, Violet fully recovers and her life continues past the accident. Spoiler, sorry😅
Finch’s life taught me that the smallest acts of kindness don’t go unrewarded and and sometimes make the biggest differences.
"Finch taught me that there is beauty in the most unexpected of places. And that there are bright places, even in dark times. And that if there isn't, you can be that bright place with infinite capacities".