THE LOVELY BONES
4 out of 5 stars

an interesting movie about what happens to spirits in the afterlife… this movie was quite creative and enjoyable! also, quite the tear jerker for anyone who’s ever lost a loved one… :’( (after 2 tear-soaked tissues, i don’t think my tear ducts could take it anymore!)



susie salmon (played by the little girl from atonement) is a 14 year old girl from norristown, PA, who gets lured into a literal death trap by a pedophile psychofuck george harvey (played creepily by a heavily disguised stanley tucci), and is ultimately murdered by said psychofuck… it’s a sad story to begin with, but it only gets more complex as susie watches her grieving family from the “in-between”, and tries to give clues to her father re: who her killer was. it’s all heartbreaking watching the salmon family grieve in their own ways (mom is clinically depressed, dad smashes his scale model hobby into pieces, sister is determined to find evidence in george harvey’s home), and all their grief/sorrow prevents young susie from moving on to heaven like the other spirits in the in-between. she even watches over her high school crush ray singh, who was been hanging out with a medium named ruth ann connors, who saw susie in spirit form after her murder. (it really freaks her out—and honestly, me too!)


one of the things I truly like about peter jackson is the way he uses different color palettes to form scenery. susie’s in-between world is quite lush, colorful, innocent, and very fantastical, and that changes quite drastically/dramatically when she begins to think dark thoughts of her killer’s fate. (changing to a stormy, disgusting, haunting night with wintery trees and sadness) his conception of “heaven” is pure and calming, and reminds me when the elf queen and frodo leave for the otherworld at the end of LOTR 3… whether you believe there’s a heaven or not, this movie will definitely make you think about the “if there was one” factor…


also, did i mention that susan sarradon is AWESOME as the alcoholic grandmother? :P (LOVE her jackie O-esque hair do!)