All The Bright Places

All The Bright Places, now streaming on Netflix, is a well-meaning film with two terrific lead performances. But I'm surprised that it was based on a YA novel by a female writer, Jennifer Niven, who also co-wrote the script with Liz Hannah, because it indulges in two male fantasies, the White Knight and the Troubled Young Man.

The film begins when Finch (Justice Smith) is out running and finds Violet (Elle Fanning standing on a bridge ledge. He talks her down. She is despondent over her sister's death, while he is a mass of neuroses. He is called a freak at school, when he goes, and often speaks of having dark moods.

He is determined to get Fanning back into the world of the living, and pairs with her on a geography project that explores the wonders of Indiana. He knows all sorts of places to visit, and she slowly falls in love with him. But he still has those pesky dark moods.

I was angry with his film through most of it. First off, why does Finch devote such effort in helping Fanning? It can't be any other reason than he wants to get into her pants. Men, and boys for that matter, often engage in fantasies that if they rescue a pretty girl she will have to fall in love with him, like a knight to the rescue. This script follows that to a T. Then, once she falls in love with him, the film is all about him and his problems. He talks about these dark places he goes to, and that it's difficult to be his friend, and everyone sits around worrying about him. This is another fantasy of insecure men--that everyone is worrying about them, and get very glum when he's in pain.

While the movie is ostensibly about teenage depression, it is shocking that nothing about Finch is diagnosed. He sees a school counselor, but never a doctor, whom anyone with a brain would have sent him to. I know we're an over-medicated society, but Finch is probably bipolar, and needs medication of some sort, or at least heavy therapy. The irresponsibility by his family and the school is enraging.

Smith and Fanning are better than this. I loved Smith as a totally different type of character in Paper Towns, he's clearly someone to watch. But this film should be avoided.