The movie starts with Austin Abrams’s character, Henry Page, whom we learn is an avid writer in the making but has not experienced love the way he dreams. Fast forward, a new student joins his school, Grace Town (played by Lili Reinhart), who walks with a cane and seems quite mysterious, and a bit odd, which leads him to believe that this is the romance he has been fantasizing about. Abrams’s character is in for a lot of surprises as we learn that Reinhart’s boyfriend died in a tragic car accident and she is naturally traumatized from the memory and puts up with constant guilt. All in all, Chemical Hearts is another one of your typical teen tales.
The plot of the movie is based on the book named Our Chemical Hearts written by Krystal Sutherland, and is directed by Richard Tanne. After the two students are paired up to work on the school newspaper together, Grace and Henry begin to grow closer to one another but unfortunately they are never able to go beyond friendship as Abrams’s character does fall in love with the mysterious girl, which feels mutual throughout this movie. But in the end everything makes sense as to why it feels so one-sided as Grace shies away from reconnecting.
The movie depicts a heartwarming tale of experiencing first love, losing it, healing the loss, and discovering one’s self once again. Spending time with Grace takes Henry to the fact that love can be messy and does not guarantee a fairytale ending. Chemical Hearts portrays the teenager’s raw and unrefined love encompassing the rough edges of the adolescent heart. Such love always reshapes a person regardless of being ideal and lasting.
Main Characters:
Henry Page (Austin Abrams) – Henry Page is a dreamer. An ideal teen who craves for passionate and perfect love but then has to navigate back to the reality of love being an imperfect mess.
Grace Town (Lili Reinhart) – Grace is a quiet, melancholic and a buying suffering from a great loss she encountered in her past. Going through unbearable pain, Grace remains profoundly caring and wise, although she is unable to communicate with people effectively and get emotionally naked to them.
La (Kara Young) – Henry Page’s closest friend who tries to hold him together and crack him up and explains to him that it is okay to be vulnerable every once in awhile.
Sudhir (Adhir Kalyan) – The teacher of English and the school newspaper supervisor who mentors Henry and Grace during the process of creating their school publication.
The Plan Analysis and Thematic Focus:
- Losing and Loving:
At its surface, Chemical Hearts considers how love can be excruciating while at the same time being a beautiful thing. Grace’s past obsession with her love showcases the possible scars love can inflict. Contrarily, Henry goes through his first real heartbreak, realizing that love is not entirely like the romantic films he attributed to it.
- Healing and Grief:
As portrayed in the movie, grief is a personal issue that needs to be worked through painstakingly, and does not follow a specific schedule. Grace’s narrative proves that healing does not take place in a straight line and that everyone has their own timeline to do so. She reminds Henry that if you love someone it doesn’t equate to being able to ‘fix’ them.
- Growing And Self-Discovery:
The film too self-discovery too; Henry begins as a narrative around romance focused individual, however by the end Henry comes to understand that love is not always simple, in fact romantic love is very complex. His experiences aid him in growing up and having a better perception of not only relationships but himself too.
- The Chemistry of Emotions:
The film Chemical Hearts, reveals that love, heartbreaks, and any emotion one tends to feel is purely based on chemical reactions within one’s brain. However, to love someone is a big deal and it is certainly not some kind of magic. If explaining the science behind it, one’s brain works differently and reacts when one feels the need for and the loss of a person.
Cinematography and Direction:
Richard Tanne, the director of the film believes that each emotion has its own color and fabric. It is for this reason that he tries to soften the mood in intimacy thereby softening everything from the setting to the characters’ emotions. Use of lighting, color, and even camera angles aids greatly in portraying the tenderness of Henry and Grace’s romance. Also, use of water, rivers, and even sunrise enhances memories while capturing the shift from Grace seeking solace.
The emotions in the film are strong but slow-paced and expected making one take time to soak it all in. Rather than romantic gestures the film is a huge portrayal of soft touching moments shared between the two.
Music and Sound
If a scientific argument is to be made, the music plays an instrumental role towards setting a tone of the movie. Soft instrumental along with slow indie tracks further adds to the intensity and seriousness that the movie has. Powfu’s piece, Death bed and Landslide by Fleetwood Mac both fits the scenario a little too perfectly and in turn amplifies the bond shared between the characters.
Reception:
IMDb Rating: 6.3/10
The film has been met with mixed reviews. It has been told that both Austin Abrams and Lili Reinhart put up a heart felt performance, though it was Reinhart who received more praise for her portrayal of Grace Town, due to it being emotional and raw. Nonetheless, some reviewers did commence with the side which claimed that the unnatural slow pace and overly sad tone of the movie caused it to be predictable and unrealistic.
The film however did allow more realism into it, which enabled audiences to feel more of a connection who enjoyed coming of age stories that were also sad. Those who read the book and watched the movie however did claim that there could have been more depth to certain character arcs.
What Makes Chemical Hearts Stand Out:
Chemical Hearts is quite different then many teenage romance movies due to its focus on the complexities of grief and love instead of trying to show that love is the one fix to all problems. The movie aims to educate viewers on what love can truly teach them, empathy and resilience and other life lessons, instead of trying to portray love as perfect and magical.
Conclusion:
Chemical Hearts portrays the problems faced by people in love, the Nature of devotion itself and the individual’s personal growth in a very emotional and socially onsite approach. Chemical Hearts is a bit distorted and view is altered by Grace and to some extent Henry, but there is still some place for the viewer to blend into the picture. Henry explains how commendable the conclusion of a love story is, how it pronounces the soma of a couple’s narrative.
Heartrending movie? I believe so. This evocative clipped love of teens is beautifully shot in chemical hearts, which escalates with every tingle of romance, only to come crashing down. But I suppose that it is the essence of love, and as they say -it is better to have loved and lost than not loved at all. Stunning camerawork, careful attention to detail, and set design make it a delightful experience.
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