To the Bone: 2017

Cast: Lily Collins (as Ellen), Keanu Reeves (as Dr. Beckham), Alex Sharp (as Luke)

IMDB: 6.9

To the Bone is about teens who have anorexia nervosa, bulimia and similar eating disorders. Ellen, who is anorexic, is an aspiring artist with a depressive attitude caused by her eating disorder and self image. Her family is separated and has different opinions on her behaviour while no one seems to really listen to what she has to say. We often see Ellen as sarcastic and aggressive. The movie shows the smallest of sparks she has when she meets Luke and how her behaviour changes according to the events in her life. It focuses on the disorder itself  with the slightest hint of dark humour.

Personal Thoughts: It's sort of educative and enlightening and it grabs the attention of teens since it is essentially a teen drama. There were contradictions between people saying that it romanticises the disorder. The thing is, it doesn't really romanticise the disorder itself, at least I didn't feel that way but I can definitely see where those comments are coming from. Lily Collins looked really pretty in the movie and her outfits and character was really impressive. Her character and the way she dresses seem to be all connected with her inner suffering which is caused by anorexia. We often see that she reflects her thoughts to her art. Of course teen girls will find themselves admiring her. But luckily, the movie includes some graphic, realistic images of anorexia. Overall, I liked the movie because it talks about taboo topics that most parents are scared to talk to their kids about. It sort of reminds me of 'the Road Within' which focuses on Tourettes. As a person who has Tourettes, I thought the movie was pretty realistic and reflective. The thing with these kinds of movies is that they focus on children's relationships with parents which is a good point to start off to understand the disorders themselves. I recommend you to watch it, although it's not really something to watch on a girls night or when you're looking for something entertaining.

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