Everything, Everything (2017)

[Luckylyn]

Pauline's actions were pretty horrible.   I was hoping to find that Maddy may have been misdiagnosed but in the end, Pauline ignored the doctor's allergy diagnosis and insisted her daughter had to have the more severe immune deficiency out of grief and selfishness.  Her actions actually put her daughter at risk from common illnesses because Maddy wasn't exposed to common viruses and bacteria like most children are which would have strengthened her immune system as she developed leading her to reach adulthood with a weaker immune system like an infant.  She can go out in the world and never had to remain indoors and away from people 24/7 but she will get sick more easily and with more risk because her mother isolated her her whole life.  So her mother created the danger that would latch her child to her as long as Maddy was ignorant of the truth.  What a lonely prison the mother made for her child just to keep her close out of fear after losing her son.   I appreciated the part at the end where Maddy tried to see the situation from her mother's pov but just couldn't forgive her.  I came away believing the mother was a disturbed person in need of therapy.   She essentially used a fake illness diagnosis to keep her child a hostage.

Falling in love with Olly essentially lead Maddy  on the path to saving herself.   It wasn't just about being with him but her desire to experience life rather than to continue observing.   Getting the guy wasn't to goal but leading an independent life was.

I really liked it.  There was more to the story than I had anticipated.  

Edited to add:  It just occurred to me that this movie is a modern take on Rapunzel. 

Edited May 20, 2017 by Luckylyn

[Spartan Girl]

What happened to the dad and brother was awful, but in no way excuses Pauline's actions. Cool motive, still murder.

[Luckylyn]

Basically she could have died because of her mother's twisted need to keep her close.  I found myself wondering if this could be considered a munchausen by proxy case.  She made up a diagnosis that ended up creating health problems.

[absnow54]

I haven't seen this, but I read the book a while back. I caught the documentary Mommy Dead and Dearest on HBO though, and I feel like the stories are really similar, except one is a romanticized YA novel, and the other has a ton of matricide.