What to Watch This Weekend: Meander, Rock Paper and Scissors, Our Friend, Son, Fear Street, French Exit, Words on Bathroom Walls, Black Widow

For A Mysterious Horror Sci Fi Film: Meander (Theaters, Redbox, and Digital)
Meander is just a superb horror scifi film, with great practical effects and a grueling, mysterious story all driven by Gaïa Weiss's captivating performance.  For more information, check out the review!

For A Simply Unsettling Family Horror: Rock, Paper, and Scissors (Digital)

Rock, Paper, and Scissors is an understated, unique, and unsettling film that uses some nuanced performances and fantastic music to create this sinister family thriller.  For more information, check out the review!

For A Family-Focused Cult Classic: Son (Shudder)

Son's slow burning story, great cast, and wonderful practical effects tell a family-focused demon story with plenty of hearts that should become a cult classic.  For more information, check out the review! 

For A Stylish Horror Throwback: Fear Street Part One 1994 and Part Two 1978 (Netflix)

The Fear Street Trilogy concludes next week so make sure to catch up on the first two stylish horror films.  Fear Street Part One 1994 is an entertaining horror movie, with a 90s feel and soundtrack, great blood and gore, and some modern updates to start this exciting trilogy.  Fear Street Part Two 1978 presents a summer camp slasher, with a similarly amazing soundtrack and style as the first movie, but with an increased body count.  For more information, check out the review!

Because You Need Your Marvel Fix: Black Widow (Theaters)

Sure I gave it a rental, but it is a Marvel movie in theaters that will entertain you and keep you from the heat.  Black Widow is an entertaining and funny Marvel movie that gives some background to one of the most popular Avengers while also providing an explosive summer blockbuster.  For more information, check out the review!

For A Poignant Tear Jerker: Our Friend (Amazon)
Our Friend is a poignant, painful, and powerful movie about love, family, and friendship that feels so real and raw and should not be missed.  For more information, check out the review!

For the Fan of Teenage Dramas: Words on Bathroom Walls (Amazon)

Words on Bathroom Walls portrays a complicated illness through strong performances and good lessons about family, love, growth, and pain.  For more information, check out our review!

For A Dark and Quirky Comedy: French Exit (Redbox)

The dry, dark comedic style, wonderful dialogue, and quirky cast of characters fueled by Pfeiffer's magnetic performance make French Exit a film worth staying for.  For more information, check out the review!

What to Watch This Weekend: Charm City Kings, The One And Only Ivan, Words on Bathroom Walls, Chemical Hearts, And More

For the Fan of Thrillers and Tension - Cut Throat City (Digital)

Cut Throat City has a lot more going on than meets the eye, from its complex characters, to its involved story, and wonderful dialogue, this film steals the spotlight.  For more information, check out our review!

All Black Cast And Great Story - Charm City Kings (HBO Max)

Charm City Kings has a commitment to authenticity that should be applauded, as well as fantastic performances from an all black cast, telling a story that has humor, emotion, and important lessons.  For more information, check out our review!

For the Comic Book and Horror Fan - Random Acts of Violence (Shudder)

But those things aside, Random Acts of Violence offers a stylized horror experience with good characters, gruesome effects, and something to say about said random acts.  For more information, check out our review!

For the Fan of Teenage Dramas - Words on Bathroom Walls (Digital)

Words on Bathroom Walls portrays a complicated illness through strong performances and good lessons about family, love, growth, and pain.  For more information, check out our review!

For the Fan of More Teenage Dramas - Chemical Hearts (Amazon)

Chemical Hearts is an emotional coming of age drama with great performances by their leads and a story about loss, growth, and finding your place in this world.  For more information, check out our review!

For the Fan of Indie and Foreign Films - Song Without A Name (Digital)

Song Without A Name has a striking, lovingly crafted style that ensures that this heartfelt family song is not one that you will soon forget.  For more information, check out our review!

For the Kids - The One And Only Ivan (Disney+)

It's a new Disney movie on Disney+.  You're going to watch it, but thankfully it also has good reviews for its heartwarming performances and story.  

For the Fan of Feel Good Movies - The Peanut Butter Falcon (Amazon)

The Peanut Butter Falcon has nearly universal critical and audience appeal, a heartwarming story, and strong performances that should not be missed.

For the Suspenseful Horror Fan - The Wretched (Redbox)

The Wretched feels like an old school horror movie with an enjoyable cast, a ton of suspense, and a refreshing lack of computer graphics.  For more information, check out our review!

Words on Bathroom Walls Review: A Beautiful Teenage Mind

 

Release date: August 21, 2020
Running time: 111 minutes 

Starring: Charlie Plummer, Taylor Russell, AnnaSophia Robb, Walton Goggins, Andy Garcia 

A teenager coping with paranoid schizophrenia hopes his new experimental drug treatment will help him navigate high school and the outside world.  Adam (Plummer) starts out at a new school with the help of the new experimental drug, with the hopes of getting his diploma and going on to culinary school.  However, when the side effects of the drug affect his mood and ability to do the things he loves, he decides to forge his own path.  Trying to hide his illness while experiencing life, he runs into challenges and obstacles, including how to open up to Maya (Russell).  

Prefacing this review with the statement that I have no idea what schizophrenia would be like, nor can I begin to imagine how difficult it is to go through, Words on Bathroom Walls has an interesting way to represent it.  It is similar to the way it was represented in A Beautiful Mind, with certain characters in Adam's head appearing and talking to him as if they were in the real world (there is also a wonderful reference to A Beautiful Mind towards the end of the movie that I really appreciated).  They interact as if they were people, even affecting his mood and actions, but they appear and disappear suddenly.  And generally, they represent slightly polar opposite ideas; a literal angel and demon on his shoulders communicating with him.  To represent his paranoid side, there is also a dark, more obscured persona that whispers some of the darker thoughts he has into his ear.  

Melding all of these together would be difficult for any actor and director, but Words on Bathroom Walls does it relatively seamlessly.  That is in part due to Plummer's portrayal.  He has a very strong performance as Adam, and his character has to go through several moods and several different personas to pull this off.  It is a really emotional story and one that Plummer handles perfectly.  I also greatly enjoyed Andy Garcia as a priest who comes in and out of Adam's life.  He is not so much a "hip" priest as you might expect in some movies, but he is more understanding of Adam and doesn't judge him or his actions.  In fact, the whole cast in Words on Bathroom Walls are well cast and acted.  Adam's parents (played by Molly Parker and Walton Goggins) are supportive but also show the weight that Adam's illness has on them.  There is one vulnerable scene towards the middle that felt very real for the effect on the entire family that this illness could have.  And Russell is great as Adam's friend at school, though I wish she had more screen time.

The story is good with plenty of emotional ups and downs, however, the movie does seem to resolve itself a little too conveniently and quickly.  It does a good job of exploring schizophrenia only to have a resolution in your typical, young adult movie way.  And although there aren't a lot of effects, the CG can feel out of place and can be distracting when used.  But the movie overall does a good job of portraying a scary condition, and of showing that sometimes the way to help someone is through caring and understanding.

Words on Bathroom Walls portrays a complicated illness through strong performances and good lessons about family, love, growth, and pain.  

Watch it.

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