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Words on Bathroom Walls
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Wikipedia article
'Words on Bathroom Walls' is a 2020 American coming-of-age romantic drama film directed by Thor Freudenthal and written by Nick Naveda, based on the novel of the same name by Julia Walton. The film stars Charlie Plummer, Andy Garca, Taylor Russell, AnnaSophia Robb, Beth Grant, Molly Parker and Walton Goggins.
'Words on Bathroom Walls' was released on August 21, 2020, by Roadside Attractions. It received generally positive reviews from critics.
Plot
Adam Petrazelli is a high school senior who experiences an apparent psychotic break at school, is diagnosed with schizophrenia and enters a medical trial to treat his condition. Throughout the film, he is accompanied by the visions of Rebecca (new age hippie), Joaquin (the best friend) and "The Bodyguard", as well as a deep threatening voice.
Adam starts taking his new medication after transferring to St. Agatha's Catholic School. He begins to experience side effects such as muscle twitching. He makes a new friend, Maya, who tutors him, but doesn't tell her about his condition. After having another psychotic break during a dinner with his mom, Adam stops taking the new pills.
Adam takes Maya to an outdoor screening of her favorite movie, 'Never Been Kissed', where Rebecca and Joaquin try to encourage Adam to express feelings to Maya but a deep voice starts to prey on his insecurity. He admits to having insecurity over his mother having another kid with Paul, but after he apologizes, he asks Maya to prom, even though she's against the idea of it. She accepts, and they have their first kiss. His work gets so much better that he writes an essay that is accepted to be read at graduation.
His mother finds out Adam has stopped taking his medication, and berates him for this. At school, Sister Catherine has been told about this and of the incident at his last school by his mom and stepdad and she announces that the school will be suspending him temporarily, instead of expulsion, for the safety of other students. Adam lashes out at Paul for writing the email to Sister Catherine the previous night, which Adam finds suspicious. The suspension also means he can't go to prom, but he defies everyone's orders and goes anyway. Arriving at the prom, he picks up Maya but as they dance together, Adam is plagued by the deep voice while Sister Catherine tries to kick him out. As his vision goes erratic, Adam pushes the nun to the ground and runs away. He runs to the top bleachers and falls over the ledge.
Adam is taken to the hospital and wakes up to see Beth and Paul, and Maya soon shows up, but he breaks down after he is overwhelmed by the presence of the visions. He is later expelled from St. Agatha's and placed in a psych ward. Father Patrick visits him, despite an earlier encounter where Adam was rude to him when he tried to offer advice. After Father Patrick says that he was not aware of what Adam was struggling with, Adam apologizes for his behavior and agrees to join Father Patrick in prayer.
Beth visits Adam in the hospital and gives him a printed copy of the email that Paul sent to St. Agatha's. Contrary to what Adam thought, Paul was expressing his support for his stepson and thought suspending him was cruel, saying that they must show more care for Adam's condition. Realizing how much Paul cares about him, Adam runs to catch up with him and Beth, and he hugs Paul for the first time, making it clear that he will be better at accepting him as a new father figure.
On graduation day, Beth and Paul take Adam to the ceremony, where, despite Sister Catherine's attempt to speak up, Father Patrick shows support for Adam. The deep-voiced black cloud tries to get Adam, but he gathers the courage to address the student body calmly. He recites his essay in which he discusses both his condition and battle with schizophrenia, declaring that he now knows that his life will not be defined by his illness. After he leaves the auditorium, Maya runs to catch up with him. Adam apologizes to Maya for not telling her the truth about his illness from the beginning, at which point they express their love for each other. Joaquin then encourages Adam to kiss Maya, which he does.
With the voices still pestering on him, Adam becomes a good big brother to Beth's and Paul's child and gets accepted into culinary school.
Cast
* Charlie Plummer as Adam Petrazelli
* Taylor Russell as Maya Arnez
* Andy Garca as Father Patrick
* AnnaSophia Robb as Rebecca
* Beth Grant as Sister Catherine
* Devon Bostick as Joaquin
* Lobo Sebastian as The Bodyguard
* Molly Parker as Beth Petrazelli
* Walton Goggins as Paul
* Drew Scheid as Ted
* Ellie Dusek as Saccharine Girl
* Saniya Holmes as Extra
Production
In February 2018, Thor Freudenthal was announced as the film's director, from a screenplay by Nick Naveda, based on the novel of the same name by Julia Walton, with LD Entertainment producing. In March 2018, Charlie Plummer and Taylor Russell were set to star in the film. In April 2018, Andy Garca, Molly Parker, Walton Goggins, AnnaSophia Robb and Devon Bostick also joined the cast. The Chainsmokers and Andrew Hollander composed the film's score, the first time the band has scored a film. The trailer features The Chainsmokers' 2019 single "Push My Luck."
Principal photography began in May 2018. The film was shot in Wilmington, North Carolina.
Release
In June 2020, Roadside Attractions acquired distribution rights to the film and set it for an August 7, 2020, release. The release date was later pushed forward a week, with the film newly scheduled for July 31, 2020. The film's official website later removed the release date, with "in theaters this summer" in its place. The trailer premiered on July 15, 2020, and the film was released to theaters on August 21, 2020.
Reception
Box office
Opening as one of the first new films in wide release during the COVID-19 pandemic, on August 21, 2020, the film made $462,050 from 925 theaters in its first weekend (an average of $499 per venue), finishing third at the box office. 54% of the audience was female, with 62% being between the ages 1834. The film expanded to 1,395 theaters in its second weekend, and grossed $453,000, then made $282,000 from 1,168 theaters in its third.Critical response
On review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of based on reviews, with an average of . The site's critics consensus reads, "Sensitive, well-acted, and solidly directed, 'Words on Bathroom Walls' is an admirable addition to a genre that too rarely does justice to its worthy themes." On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 61 out of 100, based on 12 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews." Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "A" on an A+ to F scale, while PostTrak reported 81% of filmgoers gave it a positive score.Soundtrack album
The 'Words on Bathroom Walls' soundtrack album, including the soundtrack and score, was produced by Andrew Hollander featuring the Chainsmokers, and released on August 21, 2020.
References
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