All the Bright Places (2020) Poster

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7/10
Pain Is Inevitable...Suffering Is Optional
spasek17 August 2021
Warning: Spoilers
Not everyone is privy to someone else's pain. Sometimes, people lack the perception. Sometimes, people don't want to see it. And sometimes, people are too caught up in their own pain to see it in anyone else.

There isn't a person who goes through life without experiencing pain. Pain is inevitable and unavoidable. Too often, we laugh and mock those who are in pain, as depicted in this film, especially kids and teenagers. Finch is considered a "freak" and a trouble-maker who should be avoided at all costs. It's difficult to dislike or even hate someone when you truly get to know them.

Finch sees himself as a victim; a person who's always on the outside looking in; and a person who is essentially unlovable. His own father nearly killed him in an abusive rage. And yet, Finch's failure in life was his inability to recognize his own gifts. Everyone has gifts. Everyone. And Finch's gift was bringing healing to Violet when she was nearly at the end of her own rope. The irony is that Finch is able to help Violet but unable to help himself. He's able to see the tremendous worth in Violet but unable to see that same worth in himself. And that is where the tragedy lies.

The film is told well about two characters who feel broken by events of the past. It's easy to shutdown when we feel overwhelmed. And that is what Violet does, to the point of not allowing anyone in. Finch puts on a brave face; an act which he uses to help pull Violet back from the brink. In short, he becomes her life-line. Elle Fanning and Justice Smith turn in tremendous performances.

Never underestimate the power of a single act and how that can affect a person. The smallest act of kindness or healing is like dropping a pebble and seeing the ripples go all the way across the lake.

Ultimately, as with all people, one can only bury one's feelings for so long. Eventually, all repressed emotions and feelings will surface. Finch reaches that point where it all catches up with him as he realizes that nobody else can "fix" you. Nobody else can give you enough love and happiness to fix your situation. That can only come from yourself. While others can be great catalysts, the only true source of healing comes from within.

Everyone should take a harder look around them to see who might need some help. Schools are in dire need of teaching students how to be sensitive to others and their feelings, for we have no idea the pain that someone might be in. Take the opportunity to be a life-line for someone through kind words or a kind act. Ultimately, that is what this story is about. Nobody is alone. Be sure to remind your loved ones of this truth!
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8/10
Deeply moving
richard197418 April 2020
This movie absolutely moves deeply! While it has not adopted all aspects from the book, it does capture the overall sentiment wonderfully. The movie misses some parts I would have included. Such as in the end the long period Violet was waiting and received only small cryptic signs of life from Finch. And only the last of the five wanderings has been transferred into the movie, missing the other ones in which all the cryptic messages are understood and reveal the hidden sides of Finch's love for Violet. Some details have not been explained, for example the glasses Violet is wearing sometimes, that are her sister's. But apart from that it is a movie you enjoy watching, it evokes strong emotions. You feel love for Finch and Violet, you feel compassion and affection, and it makes you cry in the end. It absolutely has succeeded in portraying the exact emotions as meant by the writers. The scenery and the music is beautiful and the acting is captivating. It is a movie that will stay on your mind for quite some time after watching and to me that is a sign of a successful movie. It really goes to your heart. You realize - to quote Violet when she tells what Finch has taught her - that even the ugliest of places can be beautiful, as long as you take the time to look.
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6/10
A deeply sad but incomplete film.
laurasomia4 March 2020
This film tries to portray mental health in a realistic way and manages to do so to some extent. Some of the characters felt out of place and their arcs weren't developed enough, in my opinion. It is clear as you watch the film that was made after a book.
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A spectacular movie
0U16 March 2020
Warning: Spoilers
The first act felt annoyingly pretentious, however as the story unfolds and you begin to see the story from these two young up-and-coming protagonists sobering points of view about the struggles with suicide, depression and trials of ostracism. You understand and feel for them equally. By the end, the film delivers a powerful message about pushing on forward, of persevering through the lesson which isn't necessarily about death and loss, but about living ones life and finding those most precious and fleeting moments in life and appreciating them and never forgetting about them.
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7/10
Similar to The Fault In Our Stars meets 13 Reasons Why
lisafordeay1 March 2020
Warning: Spoilers
All The Bright Places is a 2020 Netflix Original Movie starring Maleficent's Elle Fanning and Detective Pikachu star Justive Smith. It is based on a novel of the same name and tells the tale of two teens named Theo and Violet who both suffer from mental health. Viola has depression due to an accident with her sister,while Theo has Bipolar Disorder. As the two spend time together they of course fall in love. But will tragedy strike? Also stars Luke Wilson as Violet's dad and Keegan Micheal Key.

The whole message is it's ok not to be ok. Never hide what is really going on with your mental health. Get help and talk to someone.
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6/10
Disappointment by comparison
andronikakelso28 February 2020
I read this book for the first time over four years ago and I've been keeping track of the movies production since it was announced in 2016. The book is very complex, typically something hard to match with a movie, especially a Netflix Original. Something I liked was Ella Fanning's performance, she did a pretty good job at being Violet. However this just leads to the many issues I have with this film. The portrayal of the mental health issues in movie are not bad however I feel that the story deserved more of an Indie feel and less of a mainstream Hollywood glow. This movie fails to set itself apart from other Netflix originals, whereas the book was 1 in a million. Finch's family is not supposed to be well off at all, however their house shows different. Typical of Netflix. He also, at least for me was not what i pictured. He has the same charm and looks wise he fits but the overall feel is a bit off in my opinion. Many of the details that made this book so amazing were cut out and left behind which is one of the reasons it becomes almost cheesy. I wish this movie had gone through a bit more screening and thought because the book deserved to make a beautiful picture. It's always hard to be satisfied when a book you love becomes a movie, and although this movie is not terrible by any means and still holds some of the things All Of the Bright Places readers love it sadly fell short.
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6/10
Not quite getting the characters
I dont read the book but judging from the movie itself, I like the movie, I'm getting the message about all the mental health illness and how important is it to seek help before everything is too late. The scene, the mood, the tone of the movie are all very nice, it got us to the mood, but really the character development sucks big time, I just don't quite get it with Finch's past, and Violet's relationship with her sister, a flashback in the past would really get us better help in knowing the characters better.
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6/10
the book is better
yara_hsm28 February 2020
Good movie, but as a person who actually read the book I feel like there is a lot missing that I waiting to see in the movie. I didn't like the ending of the movie though I love the ending of the book. I just think they should have stuck with exact same ending as the book. I also thought that the wonderings would be longer in the movie ,but they were just there for a few moments. I see if people would like to turn a book into a movie they should just stick with book because the book fans would like to see what the expect to see as it is without changing anything.
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10/10
People who call him selfish have never experienced deep depression and trauma
viktoriabr-217114 March 2020
Warning: Spoilers
I saw some negative reviews not getting the logic of him comitting suicide at the end as if he did it on purpose to hurt Violet and the others. But those people must have never experienced depression because there is no logic in depression. Your mind fights against you and becomes your worst enemy. You don't think clearly or "logically" when you're depressed. This is a beautiful and incredibly sad movie that shows mental health problems in a very realistic way. The point is that sometimes you can't help someone because they're too far gone. Their issues goes very deep and he had been through a really horrible trauma as a child. It is a harsh and sad reality abd some people here don't wan't to accept that, doesn't make it any less true. Real life is not a Disney movie, everyone don't get a happy ending and some people don't recover from their traumas. I think that this is a very important movie that highlighted that and it was still a beautiful journey and ending because he saved Violet, his life wasn't for nothing he saved her and that matters. This movie also showed how we never know what somebody might be going through at home as Violet's friend turned out to have Bulimia and had a history of suicide attempts. This movie gets a 10/10 from me for discussing mental health problems in a very mature way, with incredible acting, gorgerously shot and solid screenplay. As someone who's gone through depression and physical abuse l really connected to these characters and felt their pain.
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6/10
But why?
binaaaridi3 May 2022
Warning: Spoilers
This movie is really amazing and moving it hits the teen stories and life so deep and on point it mixes all feelings so well. BUT why does it all always has to end with death/suicide in every teen movie like it doesn't make sense it was so obvious he was not fine and still no one thought about it like idk maybe I'm just bored from seeing same ending in every one esp this where it doesn't make sense. Overall it's fine with great stars.
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5/10
they had so much but they gave too little
ohunivers28 February 2020
Warning: Spoilers
I had this feeling since they announced the movie that i will be disappointed somehow because the book is just way too good and detailed to be put into two hours worth of scenes, but after watching it i ended up not just disappointed, but also mad and really upset because i felt robbed somehow. three minutez in and the beginning, which the whole novel and following events were practically based on was changed. the father and the whole violence thing was given little to no interest. his whole personalities concept, the letter he left violet, the letters he sent his sisters and friends. these things made the story so memorable to me yet they weren't even mentioned. we were given little to no finch and im mad about it. the book had great potential but the movie just felt extremely rushed and made finch's suicide so shallow. i loved the cast, but everything else just sucked. i wish i watched it before reading the book, i feel like i could've enjoyed it a bit more.
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9/10
so....read this up.
suciulaurentiucristian28 February 2020
I did not know this was made after a book. I don't care if the book was better. The actual capacity of a screenplay writer and a director to reproduce the book can and will be forever disputed. What i want to say is that this movie takes you place. You laugh. You care. You love and You cry. This movie has emotion and has life. You, for the time it runs, feel.

Is not this the purpose of a movie? To make you feel? to connect to the characters - their joy, their sorrow? This aside - the acting ,the music, the photography....everything is so well suited to the scenario and the purpose of the movie. To feel. Not to understand but to feel. Watch it to live true emotions. Do not if you dont. For what was this movie made, it's a jewel. Take it as it is.
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7/10
I enjoyed this more than the book
natcalgary30 March 2020
Don't get me wrong. the book was good. This just added more visual and emotion in my opinion as they were all well casted with actors that made the emotions come to life.

To those who believe that in the movie we didn't find out about Fitch's mental instability until late, you clearly were not watching the signs right form the begining.

7.3
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4/10
Something is missing
harmolypi872 March 2020
Warning: Spoilers
Was it that I didn't like the end? Yes, somehow I didn't. It is like the film didn't lead me at all to that very end in a way that would touch me, affect me or make me cry. It is like the movie ends and I have no feelings and I am pissed off about that. I literally couldnt believe the end. Its not something that happens to me quite often when I watch a film, that's why I was a bit shocked. Because normally if I don't like a movie I stop watching it and I don't wait to see the end to say how bad it was. But here it was different. It's not that I was amazed from the beginning but as I was about to get persuaded that it is not a bad film and started enjoying the story the end scene came and I got totally lost and disconnected. Its like the story so far and the information I had about the characters wasn't enough for me to accept that end.
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DIVINE
Begovil16 May 2020
Warning: Spoilers
What I love most about this film is not just AMAZING Finch who represents that group of angels that we lose because they're alone in the darkness of their traumas but also that Violet is brave enough to be herself instead of pretending she's all cool just for the sake of fitting in. Because if she wasn't then she'd have to face her ghosts and demons all alone back at home, and that's not cool. In connection with that I also like the fact that the people around her don't just turn into dicks to make jokes about her taking advantage of her vulnerable status, as we are used to see in most American films... And that is refreshing. Times are changing, and they're changing for the best as we are becoming way more considerate, less rude and less stupid for the sake of being "tough" ever since we decided to leave behind all that end of the XXth century crap. We are becoming better people and I see that almost every time I get out of my head to have a look around. And I think that this film is modern enough to reflect that new freedom where we get to be whoever we want to be without caring about what we're gonna get in return. And if you think about it, that's the only way. But this film is all about Finch. I got him. I feel the same way as he does. Always have, but I am a woman. We woman get more support when we are alone as it's easier to see our frailty. Please be generous. Don't be so suspicious so that you can see that there are more angels than creeps out there. There are way too many people who are just alone when it's too soon in life. Please be kind. Thank you director and crew for making a film like this.
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6/10
Hated the ending
alexarhopson29 February 2020
Warning: Spoilers
I never read the book but was excited about the movie. Mental health should be talked about more especially in relationships. The ending was crap though. That's not the only way to get through the battle going on in your head.
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6/10
Can someone be more selfish?
andreeaprecup-2392429 February 2020
Warning: Spoilers
Before destroying someone's life even more, better to stay out of it from the beginning. Like if she wasn't completely heartbroken already, he makes her fall in love with him so he can go and kill himself? Whats the logic? If you want to help someone, do it! But don't make it even worse. It's a good movie, but don't expect to feel good afterwards.
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6/10
Sad, sad
joni-stamm2 July 2022
This movie makes me sad. I would want to watch this with my teen vs them watching alone. It is very depressing. Realistic yes these things happen. But it is very heavy for young people, even for adults really. I wish movies for young kids were more inspiring.
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6/10
A beautiful movie.
Azanspy21 March 2020
I watched the movie this morning and I put a review with a mixed response. Later, I realised that there are so many beautiful moments in this movie which I just can't forget and I realised that it's a pretty good movie than what I wrote in the first review. So I deleted it and I'm writing again. ATBP is far from perfect but the makers made sure that it's a pretty good YA romance. The performances are top notch and I'm a Elle Fanning fan way before. She gave a powerful and very good portrayal of Violet. Justice Smith also did a good job and he's good in emotional characters. Other than Elle Fanning, the best thing I liked in this movie is the music. The music is so sweet and mind blowing and will be in your mind for a long time and it's an integral part of the moving of the movie. The cinematography is also good and they have captured the places they go well beautifully. The movie starts so well and I liked the first half much better than the second. The setting up was so good upto their first kiss and after that the movie slows a bit. Overall, ATBP is a good, watchable movie. Some people may find it boring because it's slow in some parts but looking back at the final product, I'm more than satisfied.
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10/10
Beautiful movie.
aeo-9052029 February 2020
Randomly found this movie today and I only have praises for it. The acting is wonderful, it's well scripted and beautifully filmed. The movie creates a strong sense of nostalgia for that young sense of wonder, and a has a deep and meaningful message. Lovers of the book seem to be quite critical of this film; I would urge them to try to rewatch without expectations, the movie is undenyably touching. I also have to praise the music which really brought life to some the most memorable scenes of the movie. Overall, this is one of the best movie productions from Netflix I've seen so far.
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6/10
read the book instead
erinbknut3 March 2020
Anyone who hasn't read the book would say this movie was good. anyone who has would disagree. they took so much out of the book, including changing how they met. they also barely mentioned finch's mental health until the last half an hour or so, so the ending made no sense. it just didn't have the same magic that the book does.
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4/10
Feels as if half the movie is missing .
beckyryan-2783528 February 2020
From the start of the movie it feels as if we are missing half the information. If feels as if you are watching the movie 3/4 of the way through. The movie seems to not fill in half the story, making the viewer guess what it happened or having the make very vague assumptions. It seems to value artistic still shoots and the same sad yet optimistic soundtrack , which seems louder than audio on a lot of occasions.

Not even sure the casting was a good choice , by choosing Elle fanning I suppose it will bring in an audience of people. Not worth the watch to be honest
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9/10
One of the best movies I've seen.
l-iizzy29 February 2020
To me, as a person struggeling with mental illness, this makes all the sence in the world. Simply because it absolutely doesn't.

There are hints, along the way you can guess what's going on but the way it plays out is just beautiful. You see the outside smiles when the inside is crying. You see doubts and moments of nothingness. You see coping meganisms and failures. And it's beautifully set up. It is slow, they give you time to take it all in, like the characters are doing. There are moments of great joy within the dark moments.

I haven't read the book. But to me, the way I could feel everything, it is a very special movie and indeed one of the best I've ever seen.
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7/10
Enlightening
Boristhemoggy5 March 2020
I went into this film like 99% of the films I watch, without knowing a thing about it. I was very pleasantly surprised to see Elle Fanning starring as she has not made a bad film and I love seeing her act. I wasn't disappointed at all! It's basically a love story, but also one about acceptance, redemption, denial and escape. It's a very complicated story and you need to think about it after you've watched it, then watch it again to find some of the nuances. Thankfully it does bear watching a second time easily because the story is great, the soundtrack is near perfect and the acting is sublime. I think Justice Smith and Luke Wilson were badly cast in their roles but thankfully they did not spoil the film and turned in decent performances. Their wasn't really a bad performance from anyone. Elle Fanning throws herself headfirst and eyes wide open into every role she takes on. She sings, dances, acts, crys and laughs with utter abandon. She almost becomes the person she is playing and so the role has breath and depth and reality thrown into it and the story is not just a story it's an experience. A fabulous film to watch and Elle Fanning reigns supreme in my opinion.
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3/10
Don't want to be that person but - READ THE BOOK
ameliassequence29 February 2020
So disappointed. The point of the book disappeared. They skipped so many important parts. I just don't understand - you have two INCREDIBLE actors and amazing story and you make some mediocre teenage drama. This book is so much more than this, and movie is so foggy. They just had to make Finch and Violet have inner monologues to explain their emotions and actions. And the end? It's so confusing and kinda stupid if you think about it and you haven't red the book, because it's so sudden. I'm recommending again, read the book you won't be disappointed because it's so touching and emotional, it really is an experience.
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