Words on Bathroom Walls

Never mind cinematography. Never mind budget. Never mind acting. My teenage son with mental illness asked me to watch this, so I did. Afterwards I asked him .."is this you?" and he said yes.

So take this review any way you want. According to a 16 yo with mental illness, it is an accurate portrayal of his every day struggle to fit into this world.

High school senior Adam Petrazelli (Charlie Plummer) loves cooking but he starts hallucinating. After an incident, he is diagnosed with schizophrenia. His mother Beth (Molly Parker) puts him on an experimental drug. Her boyfriend Paul (Walton Goggins) wants to put him in an institution. Instead, he's sent to a private Catholic school run by Sister Catherine (Beth Grant) where he's befriended by brilliant classmate Maya Arnez (Taylor Russell). He hides his situation from her. His medicine is interfering with his cooking. He does find relieve confessing to Father Patrick (Andy García).

Plummer is a terrific young actor and this role fits him very neatly. Sometimes, this movie has a dark tone which reminds me of Donnie Darko. Other times, it's a slightly lighter teen romance. My main issue is his hallucinations. They could do more with those although I also want them to view the story from Beth and Maya's point of views at times which would require the elimination of the hallucinations. All in all, it's a compelling portrait of mental illness.

I never write ratings and not always trust them, because every person has different views and watches movies in different settings, but goddammit this movie was good. If you had been interested in anything related to mental illness or just appreciate good movies and dont mind a little bit of cheesiness this movie is for you.

This is a drama about a teenager diagnosed with schizophrenia and his efforts to hide it from a potential girlfriend. No, it is not as maudlin as that sounds, it is very well acted by Charlie Plummer with a good supporting cast including Andy Garcia, Taylor Russell, and Beth Grant. It is fairly realistic portrayal of mental illness and how difficult of a time care givers have dealing with the sufferer. They also show the character being given different drugs that either fail or have terrible side effects. The problem with mental illness is that is so difficult to get measurable results - that is, if your BP is 145/90 and the doctor gives you a pill and is now 120/80 the pill is working. It is not so clear with treating mental illness. And there is a quote (I'm paraphrasing) that really hit home for me: "if I had cancer, people would run to help me but if I have mental illness they would run away". I know from personal experience that this line is very true as a close personal friend suffering from mental illness said something eerily similar. Of course there are "Hollywood" touches and clichés but I recommend that you see it.

My daughter and I went on our first trip back to the movie theater yesterday for this movie. We had seen the trailer online and were waiting for the chance to see it on the big screen. We were not disappointed. I loved the character of Adam, who is trying his hardest to keep his sanity. I can't speak to the portrayal of schizophrenia and whether or not it's accurate, but it sure was sobering. The characters felt real and sympathetic, even though there were some cliches that I saw coming from a mile away. Yes, it ties everything up in a nice neat little bow at the end, but that's Hollywood. There was a ton of wisdom in this movie about accepting yourself, flaws and all, as well as accepting other people in the same way. I have to say that I think Andy Garcia was my favorite, although Charlie Plummer is a very close second. Go see it. You won't be sorry.