Bridge to Terabithia

A lovely, gentle look at the friendship between Jesse, an artistic young boy from a poor family, and Leslie, a vibrant girl with a vivid imagination. Their friendship burgeons from bullying in the schoolyard (both on the receiving end) and a mutual love of running. It becomes cemented as they create together the imaginary world of Terabithia – an escape from poverty, loneliness, bullies and the real world.

I remember the book as the first traumatic realistic death in fiction encountered during my primary school years – not a frail elderly secondary character, but a main character so promisingly full of life and potential. A character I could relate to and really liked. The movie, like the book, was able to engage the viewer into the world of the two kids, and give an honest and realistic portrayal of kids dealing with real issues.

The actors did a fantastic job and the movie was beautifully filmed. It’s a real tearjerker of a story for its emotional depth and rawness, and a very good counterpoint to the usual unrealistic feelgood kids’ movies (eg Cheaper by the Dozen, Mean Girls, Agent Cody Banks etc)

Rating: 8/10
Simple, real, honest and sad.