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IMDbPro

Words on Bathroom Walls

  • 20202020
  • PG-13PG-13
  • 1h 50m
IMDb RATING
7.1/10
11K
YOUR RATING
Charlie Plummer and Taylor Russell in Words on Bathroom Walls (2020)
A teenager coping with paranoid schizophrenia hopes his new experimental drug treatment will help him navigate high school and the outside world.
Play trailer2:31
3 Videos
28 Photos
DramaRomance
Diagnosed with a mental illness halfway through his senior year of high school, a witty, introspective teen struggles to keep it a secret while falling in love with a brilliant classmate who... Read allDiagnosed with a mental illness halfway through his senior year of high school, a witty, introspective teen struggles to keep it a secret while falling in love with a brilliant classmate who inspires him to not be defined by his condition.Diagnosed with a mental illness halfway through his senior year of high school, a witty, introspective teen struggles to keep it a secret while falling in love with a brilliant classmate who inspires him to not be defined by his condition.
IMDb RATING
7.1/10
11K
YOUR RATING
    • Thor Freudenthal
    • Nick Naveda(screenplay by)
    • Julia Walton(based on the book by)
  • Stars
    • Charlie Plummer
    • Andy Garcia
    • Taylor Russell
    • Thor Freudenthal
    • Nick Naveda(screenplay by)
    • Julia Walton(based on the book by)
  • Stars
    • Charlie Plummer
    • Andy Garcia
    • Taylor Russell
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 119User reviews
    • 82Critic reviews
    • 61Metascore
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Awards

    Videos3

    Watch Trailer
    Trailer 2:31
    Watch Watch Trailer
    Official Trailer
    Trailer 3:26
    Watch Official Trailer
    Words on Bathroom Walls
    Trailer 3:26
    Watch Words on Bathroom Walls

    Photos28

    Words on Bathroom Walls (2020)
    Words on Bathroom Walls (2020)
    Charlie Plummer and Taylor Russell in Words on Bathroom Walls (2020)
    Walton Goggins and Charlie Plummer in Words on Bathroom Walls (2020)
    Molly Parker and Charlie Plummer in Words on Bathroom Walls (2020)
    Walton Goggins and Charlie Plummer in Words on Bathroom Walls (2020)
    Charlie Plummer in Words on Bathroom Walls (2020)
    Andy Garcia in Words on Bathroom Walls (2020)
    Charlie Plummer in Words on Bathroom Walls (2020)
    Taylor Russell in Words on Bathroom Walls (2020)
    Charlie Plummer and Taylor Russell in Words on Bathroom Walls (2020)
    Charlie Plummer and Taylor Russell in Words on Bathroom Walls (2020)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Charlie Plummer
    Charlie Plummer
    • Adam
    Andy Garcia
    Andy Garcia
    • Father Patrick
    Taylor Russell
    Taylor Russell
    • Maya
    AnnaSophia Robb
    AnnaSophia Robb
    • Rebecca
    Beth Grant
    Beth Grant
    • Sister Catherine
    Devon Bostick
    Devon Bostick
    • Joaquin
    Lobo Sebastian
    Lobo Sebastian
    • Bodyguard
    Molly Parker
    Molly Parker
    • Beth
    Walton Goggins
    Walton Goggins
    • Paul
    Aaron Dominguez
    Aaron Dominguez
    • Todd
    Reinaldo Faberlle
    Reinaldo Faberlle
    • Manuel
    Jeris Donovan
    • Woman
    Iain Tucker
    Iain Tucker
    • Ahole Teenager
    Sean Michael Weber
    Sean Michael Weber
    • Paramedic
    Drew Scheid
    Drew Scheid
    • Ted
    Anthony J. Police
    Anthony J. Police
    • Security Guard
    Els Dusek
    Els Dusek
    • Saccharine Girl
    • (as Ellie Dusek)
    Blaque Fowler
    Blaque Fowler
    • Homeless Man
      • Thor Freudenthal
      • Nick Naveda(screenplay by)
      • Julia Walton(based on the book by)
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Molly Parker and Taylor Russell play mother and daughter on Lost in Space (2018).
    • Goofs
      Near the ending of the film, Adam is placed on suicide watch at a mental hospital after attempting suicide. The writers show that the mother is unable to bring toothpicks in for a dish she is bringing to Adam. The room Adam is in, however, has clearly exposed electrical sockets and even an easily breakable ceramic lamp, none of which would be located in the room of someone on suicide watch. Patients generally are kept from electrocuting themselves or cutting themselves on broken glass.
    • Quotes

      Adam: I became a bystander in my own life.

    • Connections
      Features Never Been Kissed (1999)
    • Soundtracks
      On the Ball Field
      Written by David Newman

      Performed by David Newman

      Published by Fox Film Music Corp. (BMI)

      Courtesy of Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation

    User reviews119

    Review
    Review
    Featured review
    7/10
    a new way of looking at it
    Greetings again from the darkness. Very little outside 'the norm' is required for teenagers to ostracize one of their own. Sometimes it's a haircut or a brand of shoes, or even some other minor detail that sets them apart. But when it's a mental illness, the tribe can be merciless. Director Thor Freudenthal (DIARY OF A WIMPY KID, 2010) takes on Julia Walton's 2017 novel, with a screenplay from Nick Naveda. The film features two rising young stars and addresses some of the challenges brought on by the uncertainties associated with a mental illness.

    Charlie Plummer (so terrific in LEAN ON PETE, 2018) stars as Adam, a high school senior who has dealt with the challenges of undiagnosed mental health issues since he was quite young. His father abandoned the family years ago, and Adam's devoted mother (Molly Parker, "House of Cards") is not only patient and loving, but also committed to researching any possible treatment that would lead Adam to a better life. On the other hand, Adam and his mother's new live-in lover Paul (Walton Goggins) don't exactly see eye-to-eye on things, leading to more anxiety for Adam.

    In an interesting and unique approach, director Freudenthal allows us to not only hear the voices Adam hears, but also see the hallucinations and visions he sees - three of whom are Rebecca (AnnaSophia Robb, THE WAY WAY BACK), a sweet, hippie-ish optimist; The Bodyguard (Lobo Sebastian), a cigar-chomping, bat swinging he-man; and Joaquin (Devon Bostick), an inappropriately horny 'best friend from a 90's move." On top of that, there is a black mist that periodically manifests, enveloping Adam and bringing on crippling fear and isolation. After a years-long stream of drug therapy, Adam is pronounced "treatment resistant" and diagnosed as schizophrenic. Adam's only mind-calming escape is when he's cooking. He knows his way around the kitchen and his goal is to attend Culinary School after graduation.

    One day, Adam has a psychotic break during Chemistry class. He gets expelled, which jeopardizes his Culinary School dream. His mother gets him admitted to a Catholic School run by Sister Catherine (Beth Grant) at the same time he is accepted into an experimental drug trial. He's allowed to stay in school as long as he takes his meds and maintains his grades. It's here where he meets the dynamic Maya (Taylor Russell (WAVES, 2019). Maya is smart and ambitious and proud, and the two quickly form a bond - an interesting bond between two smart high school kids carrying their own burdens and holding their own secrets.

    Sister Catherine is balancing the specific needs of Adam with her responsibility to the school, and then there is also prom and graduation to deal with. With the new drug, the voices and visions disappear, but Adam has some issues with the side effects. A desperate plea for help from Father Patrick (Andy Garcia), the school priest, provides a boost as Adam tells him, "It's nice to be listened to and not just observed." That line provides significant insight into what it's like to have this affliction, and that's really where the movie excels ... putting us in the shoes of a schizophrenic and allowing us to experience the good and bad moments. What can Adam trust? His eyes? His ears? His mind?

    Adam and Maya are both trying to figure out who they are, at the same time learning what it really means to love someone. Adam refers to his illness as his "burgeoning insanity", and in fact, schizophrenia does have a history of accelerating over time once it strikes a young person. The movie succeeds in taking away some of the mystique of mental illness, by making it approachable and something we want to better understand. There is a visual reference to Van Gogh's "Starry Night" that might be a bit too "nail on the head", but Freudenthal's movie is profound and features two very talented young actors. The humanity beneath the surface of those society would rather pretend don't exist is effectively compared to those stricken with cancer ... those we would do anything for. I watched this film back-to-back with another teen-drama-romance new release entitled CHEMICAL HEARTS, and it's extremely rare to find two such thought-provoking films centered on a pair of high school students ... but quite a treat (although I believe all 4 actors are long past high school age).
    helpful•35
    13
    • ferguson-6
    • Aug 21, 2020

    Details

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    • Release date
      • August 21, 2020 (United States)
      • United States
      • English
    • Also known as
    • Filming locations
      • Wilmington, North Carolina, USA
    • Production companies
      • Kick the Habit Productions
      • LD Entertainment
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

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    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

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    • 1 hour 50 minutes
      • Color

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