To the Bone, written and directed by Marti Noxon, starring Lily Collins, was first released on Netflix July 14th, 2017. It was first shown at the Sundance Film Festival on January 22, 2017. The film was entered in the U.S. Dramatic films competition, which led to its worldwide release on Netflix. The movie shows the true harsh realities of someone struggling with a mental illness, not an unrealistic or humorous depiction of the struggles.

Lily Collins stars as Ellen, a 20 year old woman who is battling a long ongoing struggle with anorexia. Ellen has gone through many inpatient facilities trying to help her with her mental illness. Her most recent inpatient stay failed to make any progress, and she returned home to her stepmother and her father. Ellen attempts to live back at home, with her family, but tension with her stepmother causes Ellen to accept an offer to be admitted into another inpatient program. This program is very well known for the head doctors, typically unorthodox methods.

This movie graphically portrays her struggles as she goes through this inpatient program. It shows the mental, physical, and emotional effects of anorexia. on the individual struggling with the disorder, and their family. Although the physical effects of an illness, such as anorexia are very evident, the movie does a great job of showing that there are also mental and emotional effects on people dealing with a mental disorder. The movie shows a very realistic depiction of the struggles, these depictions are not censored or made unrealistic. To the Bone also does an excellent job of showing that someone battling a mental illness is more than their illness; that they are still a person that deserves to be treated well, and receive help dealing with their illness.

As Ellen moves through this facility, she gradually realizes that she can get better both mentally and physically. With the help of the doctors’ unusual methods and support from other patients, Ellen comes to terms with her illness and realizes that life is worth living. It takes many struggles and triumphs before she comes to these realizations, but she gets through these struggles to find the beauty in life.

Other patients at the facility play a big role in helping Ellen get better, and help to portray how amazing life can truly be. They show her all the reasons why her life is worth living, and why she should work to get better. She finally comes to recognize the uniqueness and splendor of living life, to the fullest.

The movie and its producers were trying to show the true realities of eating disorders, and they accomplished this goal successfully. Not only did they show the real consequences of eating disorders,  but they were able to portray them in a way that allows the viewer to better understand the realities of these mental illnesses. It gives people a chance to truly understand the struggles these people go through and understand how hard it is to battle these issues. Through the movies’ depiction of theses mental illnesses people are able to obtain a better understanding for how different life is for someone with an eating disorder, and how difficult it can be to overcome their disorder.    

They were also trying to show that mental illnesses, including eating disorders, are still illnesses, and must be treated properly, with the help, of a professional. Without proper treatment people with mental disorders will not get better. The producers were able to show that there are real professional treatments for mental disorders that can help a person get better and that people who are struggling with a mental disorder deserve to be helped. The producers conveyed that there is help available for people who are struggling with mental problems. The movie did a great job of showing this in a realistic way that lets the viewer understand the messages the producers were trying to get across.

Overall, this movie does a great job of accomplishing its goals, and it also tells an amazing story. The producers were able to make a movie that dealt with an uncommon topic in a unique way that made it easier for people to understand. Even though the movie deals with a rather heavy subject, the producers were able to show this topic in a way that allows people to better to handle the difficult realities they were trying to portray. This movie is one of few that does a great job of truly depicting the harsh struggles of a mental illness without censoring or making fun of them. To the Bone is a great movie for young adults that would help them to understand the true realities of mental illnesses. It would also be an amazing movie to watch for someone struggling with a mental illness, or someone who knows someone struggling with a mental illness and wants to help them. I would personally rate this movie a five out of five.