SOMETIMES, I READ A BOOK AND CAN’T WAIT to see how it will be adapted into a film.
And sometimes, I read a book and am terrified at the idea.
“Turtles All the Way Down ” by John Green was definitely a case of the latter. Could a book about OCD be adapted into a film that treated it with some sense of dignity and respect? Particularly when it’s about a teen girl?
I am thrilled to announce that director Hannah Marks and screenwriters Elizabeth Berger and Isaac Aptaker have brought it to life in a way I never expected.
Aza Holmes (Isabela Merced) is a young woman diagnosed with obsessive compulsive disorder. Her primary concern is that she will end up with a C-diff bacterial infection.
This causes her to engage in moments of self-harm to clean out any potential germs. When the millionaire father of her long-ago friend Davis (Felix Mallard) goes missing, she and her best friend Daisy (Cree Cicchino) decide to try to solve the mystery to get the $100,000 reward.
As they search for Davis’ father, will Aza find love? And if she does, will she be able to hold on through her thought spirals?
My primary concern about the adaptation of “Turtles All the Way Down ” is that there is a lot of internal dialogue with Aza, and I was worried that it would not translate to screen. But the sound design and the visuals do an exceptional job of allowing us access to her inner turmoil, and Merced ’s voice-over work is pitch-perfect.
The whole cast of young actors does a fantastic job.
They perfectly capture what it is to be a teen on the cusp of adulthood. Mallard has an easy, likable manner that allows us to overlook his absurd privilege.
Merced does a lovely job of avoiding making Aza seem like a caricature of someone with OCD. But the standout was absolutely Cree as the best friend. In one pivotal scene in the third act, her performance felt so authentic that it was hard to remember these were lines she’s reciting.
My lone complaint with this film, such as it is, is that the mystery elements around Davis’ father are barely touched on, and used almost exclusively to further the plot. But that is a minor quibble with a movie that is spectacular in almost every other way.
Fans of Green’s book will be thrilled with the adaptation, but even if you haven’t read the source material, you will want to tune into Max on May 2 to watch this movie.
Films portraying mental illness often miss the mark by a wide margin.
And films that portray a young woman with a mental illness are largely unwatchable.
“Turtles All the Way Down ” somehow gives an honest, empathetic and relatable look at a disorder that few of us truly understand.
ALISE CHAFFINS is a Morgantown writer who loves movies and sharing her opinions. She reviews a movie from a streaming service every Saturday and one newly in theaters every Sunday. Find more at MacGuffin or Meaning on Substack.
