Review | Words On Bathroom Walls : What if our fears had a name?

“Words on Bathroom Walls” was initially released on August 11th in selected theaters in the US and some other countries, excluding Tunisia from the list. Raising only $2.5 million against a budget of $9.3 million, the movie went directly to premium renting since several theaters were either already closed due to Covid-19 restrictions or have reduced capacity.

Another teen drama and romance; The fault in our stars, Five feet apart, All the bright places… We all cried in these movies and loved the surreal soundtrack that touched our hearts, then why would this be any different or worth the watch?

“Words on Bathroom Walls” stars Charlie Plummer, who plays Adam, our main character who has schizophrenia. That should be convincing enough to discover the mind of a person struggling with a mental disorder.

Other than the breathtaking cinematography, this movie is one of the few that dealt with schizophrenia, especially with convincing acting and a story full of tension. This movie is categorized as a romance movie, and that might be a reason for some people to watch it but also for others to hate it. However, the romance element in this story was almost nonexistent, as its only purpose is to lighten the story and give it enough soul to continue on its own.

The story begins with the main character Adam breaking the fourth wall by talking to his therapist in a way that makes him seem like he’s talking directly to the audience. The sessions are often shown with Adam in different shapes that reflect his real emotions in the course of the movie. At the very beginning of the film, we can see how he started discovering that he was mentally different by hearing and seeing these fictional characters, which seem to represent different sides of him: hope, love, desire, anger, and hate.

In each act of the movie, we can see one of these fictional characters taking the spotlight and dominating the scene to represent a different emotion that Adam’s heart wants to express. In some parts of the movie, it was really difficult and uncomfortable to continue watching, particularly when Adam is fighting with his inner demon, and us being paralyzed and unable to help, it almost equals seeing someone getting tortured.

The story is not about being ill but recognizing that you are a person with an illness trying to find your way through the dark. It’s also a shout-out to those with this voice inside their head, which maybe we all have. No matter how loud or quiet that voice is, we need to find our joy in life and love that will help us avoid shattering to pieces. Furthermore, it’s about letting “someone accept all of us” and “to let someone find you in all the dark and twisty places inside”, an encouragement, to make peace with ourselves and be open for others to love us with all our flaws and imperfections.

A well-developed, moving, and dark story, melodramatic and realistic dialogue, sometimes uncomfortable, and a score by the Chainsmokers that adds to the burning flames of sorrow. With that being said, “Words on Bathroom Walls” makes one of the finest releases of 2020, if not the best.

You can also check the book with the same title which this film is adapted from by Julia Walton.

I fell in love with Adam’s flaws and I can’t wait for you to fall in love with them too.