All the Bright Places (2020)
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Two teenagers struggling with their own internal battles find an unexpected connection while navigating a shared journey through the landscape of Indiana.
The story
Theodore Finch and Violet Markey are two teenagers living in a small Indiana town, each grappling with personal turmoil. Violet is dealing with survivor's guilt following the death of her sister, while Finch is a troubled loner often misunderstood by his peers. They meet on a bridge where Violet's sister died in a car crash. To complete a school project, they agree to explore Indiana together. As they travel through the state, they form a deep bond, and Violet begins to find solace in her writing again while Finch helps her navigate the memories of her past.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
Theodore Finch and Violet Markey are two teenagers in a small Indiana town. Violet is haunted by the death of her sister, Eleanor, and Finch is a lonely, misunderstood student. They meet on the bridge where Eleanor died, and Finch talks Violet down from a potential suicide. They begin a partnership for a school project, traveling across Indiana together. During their journey, they bond deeply; Finch helps Violet reconnect with her writing and her memories of her sister. However, Violet notices Finch's erratic behavior and eventually learns of his history of abuse and his struggles with mental health. After a series of escalating tensions and a falling out, Finch disappears. Violet eventually finds his belongings at a location they had visited, realizing he has died by suicide. Following his funeral, she finds a final note in a guest book at a chapel, a place of healing, where he had left his signature.
- First release year
- 2020
- Runtime (minutes)
- 108
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Brett Haley
- Writers
- Jennifer Niven · screenplay; Liz Hannah · screenplay
- Cast and characters
- Elle Fanning; Justice Smith; Alexandra Shipp; Kelli O'Hara; Lamar Johnson; Virginia Gardner; Felix Mallard; Sofia Hasmik; Keegan-Michael Key; Luke Wilson
- Genres
- teen romantic drama; coming-of-age drama; romantic drama
- Themes
- grief; suicide; mental health; healing
- Tone and mood
- tender; delicate
- Setting
- A small town and various locations across Indiana.
- Premise and plot tags
- coming-of-age; romance; drama
- Source material / true-story basis
- novel of the same name by Niven
- Content notes
- suicide
- Reception
- The film received positive reviews from critics, with some praising the performances of the lead actors and others noting its emotional weight.
- Reported review scores
- Metacritic · score: 61 · scale: 100 · review count: 9
- Production trivia
- The film was originally announced in 2015 with a different director.; The production was set in Elyria, Ohio.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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