For me I suppose it started with The Perks of Being A Wallflower. One all-nighter spent reading under the covers during freshman year and my fate was sealed. And when the announcement came shortly after that my favorite YA Novel was going to become a film I was ecstatic.
What followed seemed to be a pattern of coming of age films based on books. And as a high schooler I was the perfect example of the target audience. I was young, female, white, and in love with the idea of being in love.
However, as I stand on the edge of no longer being a teenager, I wonder if these YA novels turned film will still have the same effect on me. At least that was the mindset I had when going in to watch the new film "Everything, Everything."
After seeing the trailer, I was skeptical, to say the least. The idea that two people could fall in love so easily seemed so far fetched to me. The love at first sight trope is so often overused and used poorly at that. I feared that this too would fall into that trap of trying to be so sweepingly romantic it comes off as unrealistic.
The style of the movie is unusual and took a little while to get used to. Since the film focuses primarily on the two characters, Maddy and Olly, there wasn't a ton of dialogue. And since Maddy is confined to her house because of her illness, the scenery doesn't change much either.
Some of the sequences take place in fantasy shots or through text dialogue. It was a healthy reminder of how much we rely on technology today, but also how helpful it can be in situations such as this where one person physically can't go outside.
What I liked best about this movie was the awkwardness. Most movies glorify first love as being effortless. However, "Everything, Everything" shows just how imperfect it can be. There were awkward silences. Many of them. Some went on so long that I, as an audience member, felt embarrassed for the characters. But it was truthful.
Another positive about this film was that although it is primarily a love story, Amandla Stenberg plays a strong female role. She is interested in architecture. She loves to read. Even physically she is a role model. In one scene she puts on a bathing suit and looks in the mirror.I was pleasantly surprised to see that she isn't the skinniest actress out there. She has real life curves. And they showed them in a movie! And the universe didn't fall apart. Amandla's character Maddy knows exactly who she is and doesn't apologize for anything. In one part Olly describes her as "funny, smart and beautiful. In that order."
Naturally, there were some problematic aspects of the film. Olly's family that is plagued by an abusive father is overshadowed by the rest of the film and is kind of an afterthought when that is actually an extremely serious situation. Much of the film is highly unrealistic and I spent a decent amount of time thinking how corny the whole thing was.
All in all, I did enjoy this movie. Maybe as we get older we may not identify as much with YA films, but perhaps we can appreciate them in other ways. When I rewatch "The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants" I love it more now than I did as a kid and "The Fault in Our Stars" takes on a whole new life.
Maybe these films aren't meant to be idealized, but rather taken in small moments. They are microcosms of all we aspire to have in our lives. Cherish the text messages. Embrace smiling at your neighbor. And above all, don't fear love.
