Here’s the latest from the crossroads of faith and media:
Words on Bathroom Walls
Directed by Thor Freudenthal
Written by Nick Navela
Based on Julia Walton’s novel of the same name
Starring Charlie Plummer (All the Money in the World), Andy Garcia (NBC’s The Kenan Show), Taylor Russell (Waves), AnnaSophia Robb (PBS’ Mercy Street), Beth Grant (Fox/Hulu’s The Mindy Project), Devon Bostick (Amazon’s The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel), Lobo Sebastian (USA’s Unsolved: The Murders of Tupac and the Notorious B.I.G.), Molly Parker (Netflix’s Lost in Space) and Walton Goggins (CBS’ The Unicorn).
111 Minutes | Rated PG-13
Release Date: Friday, August 21
Synopsis: A coming-of-age story about Adam Petrazelli (Charlie Plummer), a seemingly typical teenage boy navigating through his final year of high school and excited to pursue his dreams of becoming a professional chef. Complications arise when a diagnosis of schizophrenia disrupts all his plans. After enrolling in a Catholic school, he finds himself shifting from his fear of being exposed to accepting the love and support of his family, blossoming romance, and the head priest (Andy Garcia).
Mini-Review: When I first learned of this film, I thought it had potential as a serious and thought-provoking exploration of mental illness. After having seen the movie, I’m sorry to say I’m disappointed. While getting credit for taking on the important subject of teen schizophrenia, Words on Bathroom Walls loses much credibility in its actually storytelling.
First of all, its depiction of the Catholic Church is so stuck in the early sixties that I was, for a time, wondering if it’s a period piece. It’s not but its scenes portraying old fashioned dark box confessionals and nuns in black habits (which you rarely see anymore) was like watching some sort of edgy version of the 1966 film The Trouble with Angels. It’s depiction of the Church – whether out of ignorance or just a disregard for reality – made me question whether the scenes purporting to reveal Adam’s schizophrenic experiences bore much actual resemblance to what actual sufferers of the condition go through – or are just products of the writer’s imagination or the director’s pretension.
I also am not too keen on its basic message that acting on self-absorbed impulses is somehow good for anyone’s mental health – let alone someone struggling to distinguish between what is real and what isn’t. And, while removing the societal stigma of mental illness is certainly important, suggesting (as the film does) that it’s wise for a person suffering like Adam to reveal all his dark places to everyone is not my idea of good advice. Not only can bullies use it against him but even well-meaning friends and family may not be emotionally equipped to deal with it. It seems to me that there’s a middle ground between staying in the shadows and not communicating with anyone about the problem and exposing your inner-most thoughts and problems to virtually everyone. There is, for instance, the option of talking about things private with people who can actually help.
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