• Contact Us
  • Events calendar
Entering Swellesley
Pinnacle, Wellesley

The Swellesley Report

More than you really want to know about Wellesley, Mass.

  • Advertise
  • Contribute
  • Eat
  • Wellesley Square
  • School
  • Top 10 things to do
  • Embracing diversity
  • Charities/Community
  • Arts
  • Camp
  • Kids
  • Events
  • About us
  • Subscribe
  • Natick Report
  • COVID-19
  • Letters to the Editor
Needham Bank, Wellesley
Boston Sports Institute, Wellesley

Words on Bathroom Walls movie review: Mental illness in a teen romance

September 16, 2020 by admin 1 Comment

Special to The Swellesley Report by Madelyn Peng, WHS ’21

Based on the book written by Julia Walton, the new film “Words on Bathroom Walls” tells the story of Adam (Charlie Plummer), a high school senior with schizophrenia, as he navigates through his last year with dreams of becoming a chef. When he meets and falls in love with Maya (Taylor Russell) at a new school, Adam is desperate to hide his mental illness to avoid being defined by it.

The casting for this movie is flawless. Plummer portrays Adam with an awkwardness and wittiness that has the audience rooting for him rather than pitying him. His acting during even the most uncomfortable and frightening scenes is realistic and genuine, and he delivers voice-overs and the final monologue with powerful, raw emotions. Russell plays the very outspoken Maya with an air of confidence and compassion. She stands out as an independent and intelligent young woman, defying expectations throughout her journey. In a very admirable way, the actors fit so well into their roles that viewers feel emotionally connected to the story instantly.

Words on Bathroom Walls
Charlie Plummer and Taylor Russell in “Words on Bathroom Walls” (Photo courtesy of Jacob Yakob, LD Entertainment, Roadside Attractions)

 

Furthermore, the cinematography in the film is breathtaking. The camera angles during Adam’s schizophrenic attacks well portray the chaos in his mind. The angles that shift every second (even going upside down at points) capture the confusion and franticness of Adam as he struggles to keep a grasp on what is real and what is in his mind. The lighting is also used to convey his mental state, where natural lighting is present when he is happiest and overwhelming flashes and swallowing dark clouds are depicted during his attacks. Additionally, the pattern of choppy sentences and distorted voices contribute to the audience’s perception of Adam’s disorientation. The camerawork, light, and audio fuse together for an amazing portrayal of the chaos within the mind of a schizophrenic attack.

On the other hand, the characters in Adam’s mind are a miss for the movie. As comical as they are, they don’t add anything to the depiction of schizophrenia and instead detract from its actual significance. All three characters are rather archetypal, such as the zen buddha-like Rebecca and the intimidating Bodyguard. Instead of adding humor and relieving tension as intended, these characters were poorly written into the movie and characterized as very shallow figures.

The plot of the movie, likewise, felt a little empty and foreseeable. Although in the end, Adam says “love can’t cure disease,” the movie itself sends the opposite message. Once he falls in love with Maya, Adam finds himself taking the pills he had once refused to take. This conveys that Maya is Adam’s “cure” early on in the film, and it takes until the ending for Adam to say that she wasn’t. That aspect was a letdown because it seems that the director made a last-ditch attempt to remind viewers that love doesn’t solve everything, while the whole movie communicates the exact opposite lesson. The storyline mainly follows Adam’s struggle with schizophrenia but minimizes the impactful messages by painting Maya as his savior in a very predictable romance.

The soundtrack for the film was decent, but the much anticipated “If Walls Could Talk” written and sung by The Chainsmokers isn’t as exciting as expected. In a very emotional scene where Adam is in the hospital after an severe schizophrenic attack at prom, the audience expects an extremely heartfelt song with pure emotion and vulnerability, but the song is just mediocre. By itself, “If Walls Could Talk” is not bad at all, but within the movie’s context, the lyrics and raspy vocals don’t coincide with the rawness of Adam’s emotions and the overbearing sentiments of pain and loss.

Nevertheless, the film finished strongly with a positive circular ending. At the beginning, knives represent people’s perceptions of Adam as a danger to their safety due to his illness as Paul is shown hiding all the knives. In the final scene, Adam unwraps several cooking knives while he stands in culinary school, signifying how he has come to terms with who he is. The knives no longer define him as a danger; instead, they define him as something more important to him than his illness: a chef. With a very powerful and optimistic tone, the movie communicates how Adam finds closure and manages to understand himself.

Overall, “Words On Bathroom Walls” deserves a 7/10. The plot is illustrated with creative motifs and outstanding cinematography that captures Adam’s state of mind during his schizophrenic attacks. Although shallow at times, the film tells a difficult story with impactful messages. Comparing how schizophrenic individuals are treated to those with cancer and diving into the outside perception of people with schizophrenia, the movie educates viewers on real-life experiences and provides guidance for those struggling with mental illnesses. Adam reminds the audience that even though he does have schizophrenia, he is “not defined by the illness itself.”

“Words on Bathroom Walls” is in theaters now.

print

Share

Filed Under: Entertainment

Comments

  1. Bonny says

    September 25, 2020 at 11:03 am

    I will try to see this movie. Thank you for helping me calibrate my expectations. Let’s see if I agree with your review. I look forward to seeing more of your writing.

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Linden Square, Wellesley
Write Ahead

Tip us off…

Please send tips, photos, ideas to [email protected]
Wellesley Square ad
Wellesley, Jesamondo
Sexton test prep
Feldman Law
Fay School, Southborough
Wellesley Theatre Project
Admit Fit, Wellesley
image of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19)
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Twitter
Never miss a post with our free daily Swellesley Report email
Name: 
Your email address:*
Please wait...
Please enter all required fields Click to hide
Correct invalid entries Click to hide

You can subscribe for free, though we appreciate any contribution that supports our independent journalism.

Click here to read our Natick Report

Natick Report

Events Calendar

« January 2021 » loading...
S M T W T F S
27
28
29
30
31
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
1
2
3
4
5
6
Tue 26

Rum tasting and history talk

January 26 @ 6:00 pm - 7:00 pm
Wed 27

Online history lecture: Petticoat Whalers

January 27 @ 7:30 pm - 8:30 pm
Thu 28

Banking on Our Value panel discussion

January 28 @ 6:00 pm - 7:00 pm

Most Read Posts

  • Wellesley Business Buzz: More local businesses get state COVID-19 grants; $1M in penalties for car dealership firm; regional chamber touts Feb. 4 open house
  • Now you apply for your Wellesley RDF permit online
  • Wellesley High back to hybrid learning; schools tightening budget belts due to COVID
  • Wellesley seeks designation as Housing Choice Community
  • Wellesley health officials frustrated with limited vaccine role; schools to discuss COVID-19 dashboard update

Pages

  • Wellesley coronavirus (COVID-19) updates
  • Wellesley’s 7 official scenic roads
  • Wellesley, Mass., fishing spots
  • Please support our advertisers—they support us
  • Embracing diversity in Wellesley
  • Wellesley, MA Police logs
  • Wellesley Choral Society
  • Wellesley College Notable Alumnae
  • Wellesley College, Wellesley, Mass.
  • Wellesley outdoor art gallery
  • Wellesley restaurants offering take-out and delivery
  • Wellesley, Massachusetts restaurant — Amarin of Thailand

Recent Comments

  • Dennis McCormick on Wellesley health officials frustrated with limited vaccine role; schools to discuss COVID-19 dashboard update
  • Anonymous on Wellesley health officials frustrated with limited vaccine role; schools to discuss COVID-19 dashboard update
  • Jay Prosnitz on Wellesley health officials frustrated with limited vaccine role; schools to discuss COVID-19 dashboard update
  • Julio C on Gas-p! Wellesley laments departure of legendary mechanic Larry Ng
  • Bob Brown on Wellesley seeks designation as Housing Choice Community

Links we like

  • Great Runs
  • Jack Sanford: Wellesley's Major League Baseball Star
  • Taquitos.net
  • Tech-Tamer
  • The Wellesley Wine Press
  • Universal Hub
  • Wellesley Sports Discussion Facebook Group

Categories

  • 2021 Town Election (4)
  • Animals (377)
  • Antiques (48)
  • Art (534)
  • Beyond Wellesley (28)
  • Books (343)
  • Business (1,359)
  • Camp (1)
  • Careers/jobs (44)
  • Churches (72)
  • Clubs (207)
  • Construction (280)
  • Dump (113)
  • Education (2,881)
    • Babson College (239)
    • Bates Elementary School (14)
    • Dana Hall School (29)
    • Fiske Elementary School (6)
    • Hardy Elementary School (33)
    • Hunnewell Elementary School (34)
    • MassBay (47)
    • Schofield Elementary School (20)
    • Sprague Elementary School (19)
    • St. John School (1)
    • Tenacre Country Day School (9)
    • Upham Elementary School (30)
    • Wellesley College (598)
    • Wellesley High School (884)
    • Wellesley Middle School (195)
  • Embracing diversity (38)
  • Entertainment (722)
  • Environment (668)
  • Fashion (133)
  • Finance (13)
  • Fire (141)
  • Food (327)
  • Fundraising (559)
  • Gardens (136)
  • Government (387)
    • 2020 Town Election (47)
  • Health (738)
    • COVID-19 (135)
  • History (358)
  • Holidays (365)
  • Houses (118)
  • Humor (45)
  • Kids (814)
  • Law (3)
  • Letters to the Editor (6)
  • Media (63)
  • METCO (5)
  • Military (3)
  • Morses Pond (96)
  • Music (543)
  • Natick Report (27)
  • Neighbors (244)
  • Obituaries (58)
  • Outdoors (582)
  • Parenting (60)
  • Police (689)
    • Crime (346)
  • Politics (534)
  • Real estate (287)
  • Religion (127)
  • Restaurants (302)
  • Safety (142)
  • Scouts (1)
  • Senior citizens (107)
  • Shopping (122)
  • Sports (898)
  • STEM (104)
  • Technology (154)
  • Theatre (383)
  • Town Meeting (22)
  • Transportation (209)
  • Travel (11)
  • Uncategorized (1,205)
  • Volunteering (317)
  • Weather (161)
  • Wellesley Election 2019 (21)
  • Wellesley Free Library (258)
  • Wellesley's Wonderful Weekend (5)
RSS Feed Icon Subscribe to RSS Feed

© 2021 The Swellesley Report
Site by Tech-Tamer · Login