“A Part of You” (Original title: En del av dig) is a Swedish coming-of-age drama streaming on Netflix. A sudden tragedy throws a teenager’s life into chaos. Burdened by a maelstrom of grief and despair, she must navigate the treacherous terrain of her emotions while attempting to piece together the fragments of her shattered world. Written by Michaela Hamilton and directed by Sigge Ikland, this film attempts to portray the whirlwind of emotions that the protagonist tries to process. Besides Felicia Maxime in the central role, it also stars Edvin Ryding, Ida Engvoll, Zara Larsson, Alva Bratt, Nikki Hanseblad, Olivia Essen, Maxwell Cunningham, Emil Hedayat, Mustafa Al-Mashhadani, and Leo Algert.
Spoilers Ahead
A Part of You (2024) Plot Summary & Movie Synopsis:
“A Part of You” follows Agnes, a teenager who hopes to have everything that her older sister Julia has but can’t. After a tragic incident, she feels the need to reinvent her life, to make peace with loss, and to rise above her fears. It leads her to a whole other set of complications and an unsettling journey to find a stage of acceptance.
What happens in ‘A Part of You’?
“A Part of You” follows Agnes (Felicia Maxime), who wants to be everything that her older sister Julia (Zara Larsson) is. Unlike her, Julia is the center of attention, be it in their school or at any party she goes to. Besides, she dates Noel (Edvin Ryding), which makes Agnes envy her. One day, Julia wants to go to a party. But their mother, Carina (Ida Engvoll), is against it. Still, Julia somehow manages to convince her to let them go. As always, Julia remains in the spotlight at the party, and Agnes isn’t as confident as others. Soon after performing a song, Julia leaves the party while arguing with Noel.
Noel tries to stop Julia from impulsively walking home. Midway, Julia takes the car and starts driving. Along the way, she suffers a tragic accident. Unfortunately, it leads to her death. Agnes and Carina both find it hard to cope with this tragedy. Around this time, Agne’s drama teacher, Amir (Mustafa Al-Mashhadani) informs her about her selection in the school play. Soon after, she decides to return to school. Carina worries for her and thinks she needs more time to grieve and heal from Julia’s loss. But Agnes perhaps sees a change of pace as a welcome distraction from their monotonous life.
The Change in Agnes’ Personality
Agnes returns to school in the hope of escaping her misery and returning to a normal life. However, her friends keep sympathizing with her. Amir also offers her any help she needs for having been through a similar experience in his life. But Agnes doesn’t want to get bogged down by the sadness. So, the following day, she wears Julia’s top that Julia wore right before her death. Julia’s friends immediately recognize that. But they try to make peace with Agnes’ wishes. Later, during the rehearsal, Amir pushes Agnes to express anger as a part of their acting exercise. Since she is acting, he asks her to imagine being someone else. So, she channels Julia’s energy and screams.
Right after Agnes screams, other students start screaming, too, which boosts her confidence. After this incident, she slowly starts turning into Julia. She starts following Julia’s makeup routine and puts on her outfits to meet friends and go to parties. Eventually, she meets Esther (Alva Bratt), whom Julia has feelings for. So, Agnes tries to behave like they’re close friends but faces rejection. On the other hand, she starts spending more time with Noel, who is also grieving Julia’s loss. Somehow, they start to make out in his room. But he finds it difficult to carry on with it while Julia’s memories are fresh on his mind. Besides, she knows about the dark psychological state Julia was going through. However, Agnes doesn’t want to discuss that.
Agnes’ Emotional Outbreak
Agnes keeps trying to be more like Julia but faces rejection from her peers. She starts dressing just like Julia and looks almost identical to her. One day, she enters a pub using Julia’s ID card. Esther notices that and confronts her about the recent changes in her personality. At school, Agnes cannot concentrate on the play and struggles to convey emotional depth through her dialogues. She unjustly takes out her bottled-up anger on Amir and storms out of the room. Back home, she notices Julia’s text exchange with their mother. That’s when she realizes something new and shocking about Julia.
A Part of You (2024) Movie Ending Explained:
Did Agnes Finally Understand Julia’s Hidden Struggles?
Agnes goes through Julia’s texts with their mother to realize that Julia is going through mental health issues. It also led her to contemplate suicide. That’s why Carina was protective of her. After realizing this, Agnes starts to see another side of Julia. She learns that Julia’s life wasn’t all about being the center of attention. Soon after, Noel opens up to her about his regret to let Julia drive the car on the night of her accident. He wanted to tell Agnes about it. But Agnes didn’t want to have any conversation about that loss. Finally, they open up to each other and become friends again. After trying to reinvent herself as Julia, Agnes finally accepts her reality and reinvents herself once again.
A Part of You (2024) Movie Review:
“A Part of You” presents a coming-of-age drama that shows a teenager, Agnes, dealing with grief for someone she was envious of. So, it leads to an obvious set of complications in her life. Should she feel bad for the loss, or should she keep living with her envy? The film shows Agnes’ oscillating psychological state when she is barely in her mid-teens. It is an age ripe with intense emotions and insecurities for any of us. So, her teenage angst and a need for approval as someone popular feel valid and completely natural.
As a coming-of-age drama, “A Part of You” follows the genre tropes beat by beat. It shows Agnes’ growth as a person when she goes through unbearable emotions. Felicia Maxime’s central performance aptly portrays Agnes’ swiveling sense of self-control in her journey of self-reinvention. She rarely hits a false note in her earnest performance. Ida Engvoll, Alva Bratt, Edvin Ryding, and Mustafa Al-Mashhadani are also adequately impactful in their supporting roles. Nevertheless, despite its remarkable performances, “A Part of You” isn’t particularly memorable due to its predictable script structure. Some parts of its script also feel overtly vague in their expositions. In the end, it remains just one of the more emotionally potent Netflix dramas but doesn’t transcend that template.
