Bridge to Terabithia : A fossil from my childhood

Spoiler Warning : Since I am writing this from my POV, some major plot points and twists have been talked about. If you wish to watch the film first, then give this a read after watching the film.

Based on the book “Bridge to Terabithia" by Katherine Paterson.

Director : Gabor Csupo

Writers : Jeff Stockwell and David Paterson

Starring : Josh Hutcherson, AnnaSophia Robb, Zooey Deschanel, Bailee Madison and many more.

On the morning of Choti Diwali around 7 years ago, my cousin and I sat in front of her iPad propped onto a bedside caddy, with a plate of aloo parantha in our hands, ready to watch. Little did I know that the movie that I was about to watch would turn out to be one of the greatest and my personal favorites of all time.

Bridge to Terabithia is that movie for me which made me fall in love with fictional stories, art, cinema, and all of that stuff.

Although this movie is based on a children’s novel categorized into fantasy adventure, it is more of what I would call “a thoughtful drama” because it's grounded way deeper in reality than in fantasy.

It starred a then-unknown Josh Hutcherson, who played the main character Jess and AnnaSophia Robb as a character named Leslie. Jess is a sixth grader with four sisters, financially strained parents (Robert Patrick and Kate Butler) and a talent for art. At school, Jess is constantly harassed by two bullies. Trying to prove himself, he enters a foot race but is beaten by Leslie Burke (AnnaSophia Robb), a new girl in his class who turns out to be his next-door neighbour , a free spirit whose parents, both writers, are fondly neglectful.

The story focuses mainly on the imagination and lives of the kids while the parents are just background characters. Leslie is insanely imaginative so she pairs up with Jess to create a fictional world using her imagination and his art skills. They turn a nearby forest into a realm of their wide eyed dreams where their school bully turns into a disgusting troll and they build a treehouse ; And they name it Terabithia, a kingdom somewhat like Narnia but only if you needed to cross a river with an enchanted rope instead of an almirah.

A big thing which made this film great was the writing. It was absolutely brilliant. The way the sentences and dialogues have been formed with such delicacy is something that caught me very off guard but turned out to be one of the best things about the whole film. Some of my favourites from this film are :

He may not have been born with guts, but he didn't have to die without them.

and

Jess drew the way some people drink whiskey. The peace would start at the top of his muddled brain and seep down through his tired and tensed-up body.

Let’s talk business : THE PLOT TWIST

The plot twist, which is completely unexpected, comes when Leslie dies in a flood while trying to go to the forest to save their precious creations. She drowns in a fast flowing river and sadly passes away but manages to save their creations. Jess tries to go to the forest without Leslie but without her, the magic was incomplete. Overwhelmed with guilt, Jess decides to rebuild the ruins and constructs a sturdy bridge to Terabithia (name drop!!). He also conducts a funeral for her in the forest, with the creatures they brought to life, by putting up a floral wreath "fit for a queen" in her remembrance. He then brings his sister to the realm and crowns her, returning the lost magic.

I know I know what some of you might think! HOW ANTI CLIMACTIC ?! HOW DID YOU EVEN YOU LIKE THIS FILM?

But for a 10 year old me, this made me cry. This movie made me realise that films can have deep emotions too. This film introduced me to a much deeper emotion called grief. It depicted the deep rooted financial stress of a generationally poor family. It made me cry my eyes out and sob still snot came out of my nose (tmi) but that is what makes it special. Even if I were to watch this film today, you would find me sobbing in a corner and I’d be lying if I said otherwise.

P.S : I hope I was able to do justice to this very special film. Happy reading !