Review of To the Bone (2017) by Brandon W — 21 Jul 2017

A chilling insight into the demon that is Anorexia.

Based on the real-life experiences of writer/director Marti Noxon, TO THE BONE shares the story of 20-year- old Ellen and her battle with anorexia. Ellen enters a group home run by an unconventional doctor where she and the other residents go on a sometimes funny, sometimes harrowing journey - navigating their addictions and finding the path to choosing life.

Netflix has been heading in a new direction lately, putting out not only many major release films, but creating their own stock of original films. While their track record hasn't been perfect up to date, "To The Bone" is certainly one of their brightest, with many exciting films upcoming.

I was able to watch this film the minute Netflix released it, and it certainly lived up to expectations. One thing about this film is that it's not the easiest to watch. This is an everyday thing that many people deal with, and that's what makes it scary. I've never had to deal with this myself, but I feel like this film gave us a bit of insight into what it's like to have Anorexia. I do know what it's like to be skinny and although this film doesn't necessarily central around that light idea, it does raise the fact that somehow it's socially acceptable to call someone skinny, but not fat. That's something that's always bugged me, and this film kind of picks at the idea that having something like Anorexia isn't a choice, it's something you live with. What I'm saying may not make total sense but I guess to sum it all up, this film centralizes around the idea that people who struggle with these diseases don't even know why they do what they do.

Lily Collins really immersed herself into this role. Her physical stature was honestly hard to watch sometimes, as she really slimmed down for her role. She brought out that emotional and internal conflict that really made it easy to understand what someone in this situation would be feeling like. Keanu Reeves was also a perfect addition to the supporting cast. Hearing about what he does as a person and how genuine he is, I think that placing him in this role just felt so real. Everyone in this movie did well in their roles and the talent at the forefront did admirable.

The screenplay isn't no where near perfect. The cinematography isn't anything you haven't seen before. The dialogue is a little awkward at times. And what I'm trying to say is that this isn't a perfect film, not even close. However, I think it's a great way to gain another perspective and to understand this illness. It can be a bit hard to watch, especially for those who know little about this. But I think that if you have a Netflix subscription, you should definitely check this film out.