Yeah, that was what I initially thought when considering going to the movie. It is a topic that makes it to the big screen far too often. Heck, we even had "the Fault in our Stars" so, so recently.
Thankfully, I did decide to go and see it. Must have been something in the poster. It did look different.
And so did the movie. First, it was really shot masterfully. I have never imagined that a typical high-school could be seen from such angles. The way we are presented with the home of the "Dying Girl" actually reflects the way the protagonist sees it. At some point of the movie, it turns out he has missed so much. And we had, too, because the director and cinematographer had done such a great job.
The plot was really well played out. You are constantly forced into the skin of the protagonist to the point where you take everything he says for granted and you do feel what he's feeling. And he is both a typical and a very different kid. He's both mature (especially in areas such as cynicism and in taking care to look calmer than he actually is) and really, really immature (in issues relating to girls, of course, parents, his future, etc.)
A note: the film is not about poking fun at anyone's suffering. It does touch on the topic of accepting things with a smile and moving on, but without forgetting.
My only actual criticism of the movie relates to the very ending, hence this SPOILER ALERT! I really loved the scene where Greg explored Rachel's room and saw what he had missed to see so many times before. Th squirrels, the scissors, the things she did with the books. It was beautiful and really emotional. That is when he must have finally come to understood his wacky teacher's words about how you continue to learn things from and about the people you've lost even after they are already gone. It is a great message, but why did he have to spell it out in the next scene? We perfectly got it from the scene in Rachel's room and having it spelled out just about ruined the effect of that particular scene. I understand that the target audience might not understand it otherwise, but subtlety is the best approach to movie endings.
Nevertheless, the movie was beyond great. I've marked the cinematographer and the director and hope to see their next projects soon.
Thankfully, I did decide to go and see it. Must have been something in the poster. It did look different.
And so did the movie. First, it was really shot masterfully. I have never imagined that a typical high-school could be seen from such angles. The way we are presented with the home of the "Dying Girl" actually reflects the way the protagonist sees it. At some point of the movie, it turns out he has missed so much. And we had, too, because the director and cinematographer had done such a great job.
The plot was really well played out. You are constantly forced into the skin of the protagonist to the point where you take everything he says for granted and you do feel what he's feeling. And he is both a typical and a very different kid. He's both mature (especially in areas such as cynicism and in taking care to look calmer than he actually is) and really, really immature (in issues relating to girls, of course, parents, his future, etc.)
A note: the film is not about poking fun at anyone's suffering. It does touch on the topic of accepting things with a smile and moving on, but without forgetting.
My only actual criticism of the movie relates to the very ending, hence this SPOILER ALERT! I really loved the scene where Greg explored Rachel's room and saw what he had missed to see so many times before. Th squirrels, the scissors, the things she did with the books. It was beautiful and really emotional. That is when he must have finally come to understood his wacky teacher's words about how you continue to learn things from and about the people you've lost even after they are already gone. It is a great message, but why did he have to spell it out in the next scene? We perfectly got it from the scene in Rachel's room and having it spelled out just about ruined the effect of that particular scene. I understand that the target audience might not understand it otherwise, but subtlety is the best approach to movie endings.
Nevertheless, the movie was beyond great. I've marked the cinematographer and the director and hope to see their next projects soon.
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