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''All the Bright Places'' is a 2020 American
teen Adolescence () is a transitional stage of physical and psychological development that generally occurs during the period from puberty to adulthood (typically corresponding to the age of majority). Adolescence is usually associated with the te ...
romantic drama Romance films or movies involve romantic love stories recorded in visual media for broadcast in theatres or on television that focus on passion, emotion, and the affectionate romantic involvement of the main characters. Typically their journey ...
film, directed by
Brett Haley Brett Haley (born ) is an American filmmaker and actor best known for his work on '' The Hero'' and ''Hearts Beat Loud''. Early life Haley was born in Illinois and raised in Key West, Florida and Pensacola, Florida. Haley developed an inter ...
, from a screenplay by
Jennifer Niven Jennifer Niven is a New York Times and international best selling American author who is best known for the 2015 young adult book, ''All the Bright Places''. Life and career Niven grew up in Indiana. As well as writing novels, Niven has also ...
and
Liz Hannah Elizabeth Hannah (born December 14, 1985) is an American screenwriter and film producer. She is best known for her work on Steven Spielberg's 2017 journalism drama ''The Post'' for which she was nominated for a Golden Globe for Best Screenpl ...
, adapted from the novel of the same name by Niven. It stars
Elle Fanning Mary Elle Fanning (born April 9, 1998) is an American actress. She made her film debut as the younger version of her sister Dakota Fanning's character in the drama film ''I Am Sam'' (2001). As a child actress, she appeared in several films, inc ...
,
Justice Smith Justice Elio Smith (born August 9, 1995) is an American actor. He is best known for his roles in the films '' Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom'', '' Pokémon: Detective Pikachu'', and ''All the Bright Places''. Early life Smith was born in Ca ...
,
Alexandra Shipp Alexandra Ruth Shipp is an American actress and singer who rose to prominence for portraying singer Aaliyah in the Lifetime television film '' Aaliyah: The Princess of R&B'' (2014) and Kimberly Woodruff in the Oscar-nominated film '' Straight ...
,
Kelli O'Hara Kelli Christine O'Hara (born April 16, 1976) is an American actress and singer, most known for her work on the Broadway and opera stages. A seven-time Tony Award nominee, O'Hara won the 2015 Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical for her per ...
, Lamar Johnson,
Virginia Gardner Virginia Elizabeth Gardner is an American actress who played Karolina Dean in the Hulu original series '' Marvel's Runaways'' (2017–2019), Vicky in David Gordon Green's horror film ''Halloween'' (2018) and Shiloh Hunter in Lionsgate's survival ...
,
Felix Mallard Felix Cooper Mallard (born 20 April 1998) is an Australian-American actor, musician, and model. He began his career playing Ben Kirk in the soap opera '' Neighbours'' (2014–2019). He has since starred as Cooper in the CBS comedy '' Happy Togeth ...
, Sofia Hasmik,
Keegan-Michael Key Keegan-Michael Key (born March 22, 1971) is an American actor, comedian, screenwriter, and producer. He co-created and co-starred alongside Jordan Peele in Comedy Central's sketch series ''Key & Peele'' (2012–2015) and co-starred in USA Netw ...
, and
Luke Wilson Luke Cunningham Wilson (born September 21, 1971) is an American actor known for his roles in films such as '' Bottle Rocket'' (1996), '' Rushmore'' (1998), ''My Dog Skip'' (2000), ''Legally Blonde'' (2001), ''The Royal Tenenbaums'' (2001), ''Id ...
. It was released on February 28, 2020, by
Netflix Netflix, Inc. is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service and production company based in Los Gatos, California. Founded in 1997 by Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph in Scotts Valley, California, it offers a fil ...
, to positive reviews from critics.


Plot

Theodore Finch and Violet Markey are two teenagers who live unhappily in a small
Indiana Indiana () is a U.S. state in the Midwestern United States. It is the 38th-largest by area and the 17th-most populous of the 50 States. Its capital and largest city is Indianapolis. Indiana was admitted to the United States as the 19th s ...
town. She is quietly dealing with
survivor's guilt Survivor guilt (or survivor's guilt; also called survivor syndrome or survivor's syndrome and survivor disorder or survivor's disorder) is a mental condition that occurs when a person believes they have done something wrong by surviving a traumati ...
after the death of her sister Eleanor and he is a loner, called a freak by other students. Finch and Violet meet on the bridge where Eleanor died in a car crash nine months earlier. Violet survived the crash, and has not been in a car since. She finds herself standing on the edge of the bridge on what would have been Eleanor's nineteenth birthday. Finch, out for a run, sees Violet perched on the edge looking in and climbs up next to her, talking her down from a possible suicide. Finch begins a partnership with an initially reluctant Violet for a school project that requires the students to explore Indiana together. He looks her up on
Facebook Facebook is an online social media and social networking service owned by American company Meta Platforms. Founded in 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg with fellow Harvard College students and roommates Eduardo Saverin, Andrew McCollum, Dustin M ...
, researches her sister's car accident, reads through Violet's old writing, and chats with her online. Finch and Violet travel around Indiana to see sites chosen by him for the project. Violet refuses to travel by car, so they bike to the highest point in Indiana. However, to visit a miniature roller coaster too far away to bike to, she agrees to get in Finch's car. Violet returns to writing, for the first time since Eleanor's death. He helps her talk about her sister, which no one else had managed to do. Violet slowly begins to heal and they fall in love. Violet notices Finch's occasionally strange behavior. He sometimes disappears for days. One day, while they are swimming at the Blue Hole, Finch disappears under the water. By the time he resurfaces, Violet is distraught and forces him to tell her more about himself, threatening to leave if he doesn't. Finch reveals that he had been physically abused by his father, who sometimes got into "dark moods." On one occasion, Finch and Violet stay out all night by accident, upsetting Violet's parents. At school that day, he loses his temper on Violet's ex-boyfriend after being called "freak." The two boys fight, and Finch leaves in his car. Violet, who broke up the fight, ends up in the principal's office with Finch's closest friend, Charlie, who talks to her about him. Finch attends a
support group In a support group, members provide each other with various types of help, usually nonprofessional and nonmaterial, for a particular shared, usually burdensome, characteristic. Members with the same issues can come together for sharing coping str ...
session, earlier recommended by the school guidance counselor, but nothing fruitful comes of it, partly because he cannot describe his problems. He visits the bar where his sister Kate works and prompts her to speculate on why their father was abusive, and whether he could have been helped. Upset, Kate dismisses the topic, saying she doesn't care, and that their father is someone else's problem now. Disappointed, Finch leaves for their house, where Violet is waiting. As she questions him about the post-it notes put up everywhere, he alludes to his episodes of "dark moods" when he fails to "stay awake." Finally, convinced he is beyond help, shouts at her to leave. Finch disappears again. As suggested by her father, Violet checks places they had visited together and drives to the Blue Hole. There, she finds Finch's clothes and phone, and correctly infers that he has drowned himself. Some time later, she attends his
funeral A funeral is a ceremony connected with the final disposition of a corpse, such as a burial or cremation, with the attendant observances. Funerary customs comprise the complex of beliefs and practices used by a culture to remember and respect th ...
. While healing from Finch's suicide, Violet finds the map they used to travel around Indiana and notices the last location they were supposed to visit together marked in red. It's the Travelers' Prayers Chapel, a resting place for travelers and a place of healing for mourners. She finds his signature in the guest book.


Cast

*
Elle Fanning Mary Elle Fanning (born April 9, 1998) is an American actress. She made her film debut as the younger version of her sister Dakota Fanning's character in the drama film ''I Am Sam'' (2001). As a child actress, she appeared in several films, inc ...
as Violet Markey *
Justice Smith Justice Elio Smith (born August 9, 1995) is an American actor. He is best known for his roles in the films '' Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom'', '' Pokémon: Detective Pikachu'', and ''All the Bright Places''. Early life Smith was born in Ca ...
as Theodore "Theo" Finch *
Alexandra Shipp Alexandra Ruth Shipp is an American actress and singer who rose to prominence for portraying singer Aaliyah in the Lifetime television film '' Aaliyah: The Princess of R&B'' (2014) and Kimberly Woodruff in the Oscar-nominated film '' Straight ...
as Kate Finch *
Luke Wilson Luke Cunningham Wilson (born September 21, 1971) is an American actor known for his roles in films such as '' Bottle Rocket'' (1996), '' Rushmore'' (1998), ''My Dog Skip'' (2000), ''Legally Blonde'' (2001), ''The Royal Tenenbaums'' (2001), ''Id ...
as James Markey *
Kelli O'Hara Kelli Christine O'Hara (born April 16, 1976) is an American actress and singer, most known for her work on the Broadway and opera stages. A seven-time Tony Award nominee, O'Hara won the 2015 Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical for her per ...
as Sheryl Markey * Lamar Johnson as Charlie *
Virginia Gardner Virginia Elizabeth Gardner is an American actress who played Karolina Dean in the Hulu original series '' Marvel's Runaways'' (2017–2019), Vicky in David Gordon Green's horror film ''Halloween'' (2018) and Shiloh Hunter in Lionsgate's survival ...
as Amanda *
Felix Mallard Felix Cooper Mallard (born 20 April 1998) is an Australian-American actor, musician, and model. He began his career playing Ben Kirk in the soap opera '' Neighbours'' (2014–2019). He has since starred as Cooper in the CBS comedy '' Happy Togeth ...
as Roamer *Sofia Hasmik as Brenda *
Keegan-Michael Key Keegan-Michael Key (born March 22, 1971) is an American actor, comedian, screenwriter, and producer. He co-created and co-starred alongside Jordan Peele in Comedy Central's sketch series ''Key & Peele'' (2012–2015) and co-starred in USA Netw ...
as Richard Embry * Chris Grace as Hudson


Production

In July 2015, it was announced that
Elle Fanning Mary Elle Fanning (born April 9, 1998) is an American actress. She made her film debut as the younger version of her sister Dakota Fanning's character in the drama film ''I Am Sam'' (2001). As a child actress, she appeared in several films, inc ...
would star in ''All the Bright Places'', with author Jennifer Niven writing the adapted screenplay. In July 2015, it was announced that
Miguel Arteta Miguel Arteta (born 1965) is a Puerto Rican director of film and television, known for his independent film ''Chuck & Buck'' (2000), for which he received the Independent Spirit John Cassavetes Award, and for the films ''The Good Girl'' (2002) ...
would be directing the film. In July 2018,
Justice Smith Justice Elio Smith (born August 9, 1995) is an American actor. He is best known for his roles in the films '' Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom'', '' Pokémon: Detective Pikachu'', and ''All the Bright Places''. Early life Smith was born in Ca ...
joined the cast of the film, with
Brett Haley Brett Haley (born ) is an American filmmaker and actor best known for his work on '' The Hero'' and ''Hearts Beat Loud''. Early life Haley was born in Illinois and raised in Key West, Florida and Pensacola, Florida. Haley developed an inter ...
replacing Arteta as director, and
Liz Hannah Elizabeth Hannah (born December 14, 1985) is an American screenwriter and film producer. She is best known for her work on Steven Spielberg's 2017 journalism drama ''The Post'' for which she was nominated for a Golden Globe for Best Screenpl ...
co-writing the script with Niven. Echo Lake Entertainment and
FilmNation Entertainment FilmNation Entertainment, LLC is an American film production, co-financing and international sales company, founded by film executive Glen Basner in 2008. History 2008: Founding FilmNation Entertainment is an independent film production and d ...
produced the film, with Fanning, Paula Mazur, Mitchell Kaplan,
Doug Mankoff Doug Mankoff is a producer and executive producer of fifteen independent films including ''Thirteen Conversations About One Thing'' and ''The Big Empty.'' He is currently the CEO of Echo Lake Entertainment, a production and financing company he fo ...
, Andrew Spaulding, and Brittany Kahn serving as producers, while Hannah served as an executive producer. In October 2018,
Alexandra Shipp Alexandra Ruth Shipp is an American actress and singer who rose to prominence for portraying singer Aaliyah in the Lifetime television film '' Aaliyah: The Princess of R&B'' (2014) and Kimberly Woodruff in the Oscar-nominated film '' Straight ...
,
Keegan-Michael Key Keegan-Michael Key (born March 22, 1971) is an American actor, comedian, screenwriter, and producer. He co-created and co-starred alongside Jordan Peele in Comedy Central's sketch series ''Key & Peele'' (2012–2015) and co-starred in USA Netw ...
,
Luke Wilson Luke Cunningham Wilson (born September 21, 1971) is an American actor known for his roles in films such as '' Bottle Rocket'' (1996), '' Rushmore'' (1998), ''My Dog Skip'' (2000), ''Legally Blonde'' (2001), ''The Royal Tenenbaums'' (2001), ''Id ...
,
Kelli O'Hara Kelli Christine O'Hara (born April 16, 1976) is an American actress and singer, most known for her work on the Broadway and opera stages. A seven-time Tony Award nominee, O'Hara won the 2015 Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical for her per ...
,
Virginia Gardner Virginia Elizabeth Gardner is an American actress who played Karolina Dean in the Hulu original series '' Marvel's Runaways'' (2017–2019), Vicky in David Gordon Green's horror film ''Halloween'' (2018) and Shiloh Hunter in Lionsgate's survival ...
,
Felix Mallard Felix Cooper Mallard (born 20 April 1998) is an Australian-American actor, musician, and model. He began his career playing Ben Kirk in the soap opera '' Neighbours'' (2014–2019). He has since starred as Cooper in the CBS comedy '' Happy Togeth ...
, Lamar Johnson, and Sofia Hasmik joined the cast of the film, with
Netflix Netflix, Inc. is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service and production company based in Los Gatos, California. Founded in 1997 by Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph in Scotts Valley, California, it offers a fil ...
distributing.
Principal photography Principal photography is the phase of producing a film or television show in which the bulk of shooting takes place, as distinct from the phases of pre-production and post-production. Personnel Besides the main film personnel, such as actor ...
began on October 4, 2018, in Elyria, Ohio.


Release

The film was released on February 28, 2020 through Netflix.


Critical reception

, ''All The Bright Places'' holds approval rating on review aggregator website
Rotten Tomatoes Rotten Tomatoes is an American review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee, and Stephen Wang ...
, based on reviews, with an average of . The website's critics consensus reads: "Though it at times buckles under the emotional weight of its source material, ''All The Bright Place'' succeeds on the strength of Elle Fanning and Justice Smith's charming and tender performances." On
Metacritic Metacritic is a website that review aggregator, aggregates reviews of films, TV shows, music albums, video games and formerly, books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted arithmetic mean, weighted average). M ...
, the film holds a rating of 61 out of 100, based on 9 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews". Kimber Myers of the ''
Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' (abbreviated as ''LA Times'') is a daily newspaper that started publishing in Los Angeles in 1881. Based in the LA-adjacent suburb of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper by circulation in the Un ...
'' gave the film a positive review writing: "Though it's not without humor, "All the Bright Places" takes teens' emotions seriously and will move romantics of any age - in possibly unexpected ways". Courtney Howard of ''
Variety Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...
'' gave the film a positive review writing: "Its pure beating heart and humanistic undertones make it somewhat of a standout". Candice Frederick of ''
The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...
'' also gave the film a positive review writing: "Smith and Fanning bring thoughtful performances to this delicate tale." Benjamin Lee of ''
The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...
'' gave the film 2 out of 5 stars writing: "There's messaging inserted near the start of the end credits for those who might be affected by the themes raised. But it doesn't negate what comes before it: a film that lingers briefly in the deep end but remains disappointingly shallow."


References


External links

* {{Brett Haley 2020s coming-of-age drama films 2020 romantic drama films 2020 films American coming-of-age drama films American romantic drama films Films about grieving Films about suicide Films based on American novels Films based on young adult literature Films directed by Brett Haley Films scored by Keegan DeWitt Films set in Indiana Films shot in Cleveland English-language Netflix original films 2020s English-language films 2020s American films