Parachute

Riley has been in rehab for eating and several psych disorders. So when she meets ethan, who has issues of his own, they hit it off right away. Riley tells us she knows she's not supposed to have relationships for the first year, but she's already broken that rule. And she's skipping her therapist appointments. Riley seems to be snacking a lot, so she seems to still have the eating and self worth issues. And now that it's been a year, she can date, so she starts up with a co-worker. And ends up kicking ethan to the curb. After a disastrous thanksgiving dinner, can riley make things right with her family, her friends? Even herself? It's good but predictable. One complaint.. a lot of the film is filmed with light so low we can't see what's going on. Directed by brittany snow. One of the two films she has directed.

Its very rare to find a film that does realness right, even to the very end. This film is incredibly relatable whether you've experience BD or not. It does a great job portraying the randomness and awkwardness of life as well as our obnoxious tendencies to self sabatoge. The cast was wonderful. You easily fall in love with the main characters.

I wish Hollywood would get its act together and fund about 100 more films like this one. If we had more movies like this, instead of the cookie cutter, coming of age or romcom films, teens and young adults would grow up much better adjusted.

Very much looking forward to more of Brittany Snow's work. She has an incredibly bright future.

The movie should come with trigger warnings for body dysmorphia and eating disorders. Although Brittany Snow does a wonderful job of representing them, the theme might be too much to deal with for some people.

Okay, now that put aside, the performances in the movie were so beautiful. This kind of theme was elegantly depicted and to think that it was a directional debut certainly shows so much promise. Despite the erratic pacing and passage of time generally thrown at the audience through exposition, after a momentary whiplash, the scene brings you right back into it. I really loved character development of Riley and Nathan and even the minor characters for that matter. The movie did a wonderful job of showing both, what people suffering from mental illness go through and what people who care for them go through. Kudos.

This has the feel of a bunch of diary entries - too many fleeting moments that are not explained and a bunch of time jumps that leave us guessing.

If they got rid of the goofy and smug therapist played by Gina Rodriguez and Ethan's alcoholic father played by Joel McHale, it may have strengthened the story. Also Celeste Oliva, who played Riley's mother, was so full of disdain and read all her lines without any emotion.

I think Ethan and Riley's situation-ship is worth exploring, but we are pulled away from them too often. It also would have made sense to see how Hunter and Riley's relationship took a turn for the worse. Overall the film has scenes of characters arguing and storming off. Nothing to write home about.

Brittany Snow's directorial debut film, Parachute, is an emotional film about what it is like when your mind isn't right. The film follows Riley, a young woman who just got out of rehab for an eating disorder. While in recovery, Riley meets Ethan, and the two hit it off. Although she isn't supposed to date, the two quickly fall into a complicated relationship, on again off again, will they won't they type realtionshp. It is not messily a unique formula. However, what separates Parachute from other films is how it deals with a person struggling with mental health. While romance is certainly a part of the movie, it really is a film about going through a mental health crisis. I won't give anything away because I feel this is a film that it is better to go into blind. However, I will say that it is interesting that this film starts with Riley getting out of rehab and that it really is just the start of her mental journey and healing. Now, I have to say, as a Brittany Snow fan, it's impossible to watch this movie and not see her story in Riley. Brittany Snow is by far my favorite actor (and now my favorite director). However, her story about how she overcame her eating disorder and her work with mental health is what has made her a hero to me. Knowing she went through what Riley did in real life makes the film more authentic. Riley even wears a ladybug bracelet on her right wrist, like how Brittany has a ladybug tattoo on that same wrist. It also feels like a movie Brittany would make, from its themes of mental health to how it uses photos to tell the passage of time. It all feels very Brittany Snow. From a technical standpoint, the acting is all great. Courtney Eaton and Thomas Mann have great chemistry, and it made me appreciate them more as actors. The sounding cast is great, too, with amazing actors, such as Gina Rodriguez, Joel McHale, Dave Bautista, and Kid Cudi (all of whom are friends with Brittany). Also, it warmed my heart to see two of the Bellas from Pitch Perfect, Kelley Jackle and Chrissie Fit, in the film. Now, this is not an easy watch, especially if you have had struggles with mental health. I would recommend watching it when you are in a good place, mentally, like you would with a sad dog movie. But it's so good it needs to be seen, and the conversations about what to do when your mind is not working right are so important, especially now in a world with 24/7 social media access. All in all, my biggest takeaway is something Brittany Snow once said. "Maybe the voice inside your mind isn't right,"- Brittany Snow.