All the bright places, is actually going to hit all your dark places, and light a match to enliven them. It’s going to make you reach out and reveal those dark secrets that you’ve been smothering under layers of “normal”.
The story is about two teens struggling with life and the curve balls that it throws. Violet Parkey, didn’t just lose her sister in a car accident but also herself. She can’t help but blame herself for what happened, and feels guilt every time she tries to get back to her zestful life. The way Violet reacts to her sister’s untimely demise, shows how unprepared she was for something like this. It breaks her to the core and she fails to understand how the others are managing their grief, like her parents for instance. She keeps blaming herself for this unfortunate event and keeps pushing herself into this dark ditch that is feeding on her from the inside. It is during this time that she realizes how shallow and superficial some people and relationships are; they are all here until the lights are on, no one wants to stay once the lights are off.
She is pulled out of this darkness by a goofy yet charming guy, Theodore Finch. Finch finds Violet on the ledge of the bridge where she lost her sister. That’s when he decides to save her. He is someone whom she would have never actually noticed, while she lived superficially, just like the others. Finch is among those people who go unnoticed but don’t even bother. When he first sees her on the ledge, there is something that moves him, he connects to her instantly, and follows her around like a shadow. Taking complete advantage of the geography project given to them in school, Finch tries to “literally” pull Violet from the darkness and show her ‘All the bright places” across Indiana. Little do we know, Finch is also a prey to darkness and is battling his own demons.
I personally loved this entire part, where Finch takes her to some of the weirdest yet beautiful places across Indiana, that are full of stories and light. “The highest point of Indiana”, the “before I die I want to… wall”, “the bottomless pit”, “the shoes tree”. With each wander, Finch succeeds in piercing through every layer of darkness that Violet has created around herself. It is simply liberating to watch them embark on this journey towards life, towards light.
The message that this movie gives you is that we all are suffering. Some are vocal about it, some suffer in silence. Some wear their wounds like armor, some hide behind their smiles. And more often than not, the one’s who reach out to help you, are the one’s who need to be saved.
This movie will surely leave you “in pieces”.
-Saima.S.
saimairfanshaikh 