Overview
Turtles All The Way Down is a movie adaptation of the book by John Green, who may sound familiar to you. He’s the author of other popular teen stories such as The Fault In Our Stars and Paper Towns, both of which have also been turned into movies. His stories always follow a similar pattern of a sweet teen romance, mixed with philosophical ideas around life hardships, the necessity of genuine relationships, and a healthy level of humor to balance it out.
This movie follows a regular teenage girl in Indianapolis, Aza Holmes, who struggles with anxiety and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). The movie follows her navigating close relationships, including her best friend Daisy, and her budding interest in her childhood crush, Davis. Let’s take a closer look at the plot to see if this movie is safe for kids to watch.
Harmful Content ❗️
The movie does not have excessive harmful content, however, Aza’s battle with mental health is depicted in ways that may be psychologically distressing to some viewers. The movie portrays her struggle in a raw, honest way, different from how other teen dramas have glamorized these struggles.
Throughout the movie, the audience can hear Aza’s internal dialogue as she tries to fight her compulsions, often eventually giving in to them. Many of her compulsions center around a callus on her finger that she obsessively cleans. Those who have personally struggled with intrusive thoughts like this might find these scenes triggering. Be sure to consider your own child’s mental health experiences when considering watching this movie.
Language
Occasional adult language such as “sh*t”, “damn”, and “a**.”
Sex
As a teen romance story, there are a couple of scenes of teens kissing but nothing more. Also a couple of references to sex, such as “doing the nasty.” Sex is not a frequent theme and relationships are much more focused on the emotional connection.
One scene shows Aza and Davis swimming in their underwear. The scene is brief and they don’t do anything other than swim. Aza and Davis also text frequently and there is one moment where their texting includes describing each other’s bodies. Davis texts “I like your butt.” But it never turns into sexting.
Violence
This is not a particularly violent movie, but there are a few intense scenes to be aware of. At the beginning of the movie, a short montage reveals that Aza’s father passed away from health complications. Davis’s father is found to have died by suicide, but it is not explicitly shown in any way. It is implied that he jumped off a bridge. Additionally, Aza and Daisy get in a car accident. The scene shows both of them with a small amount of blood.
One particularly unsettling scene is when Aza is in the hospital after the car accident. Her intrusive thoughts begin to spiral as she fears getting an infection from being in a hospital. She is shown compulsively ingesting soap in the bathroom to get rid of the infection. The audience hears her thoughts as she fights with herself to stop the compulsion to no avail. Her mother eventually comes in to stop her, and the scene ends. This may be disturbing for those who are unfamiliar with this form of mental illness, and triggering for those with personal experience.
Positive Value 💫
Turtles All The Way Down portrays a regular teen girl dealing with real issues around her mental health struggles. It doesn’t hide how messy and invasive it can be, impacting things such as family, friends, romantic relationships, and future plans. However, the movie does not leave the audience without hope. The ending message of the movie is that despite mental health battles, a life that is full and lived with people you love is worth fighting for.
So, should my kid watch it?
We suggest this movie for ages 13 and up. Parents who have kids who particularly struggle with mental health should consider the content and their child’s state before watching.
