Directed by Hannah Marks, “Turtles All the Way Down” is a coming-of-age romance drama, streaming on Max. Starring Isabela Merced in the central role, it follows 16-year-old Azla Holmes, who struggles with obsessive-compulsive disorder. That makes it hard for her to connect with her loved ones. The film shows her grow out of her fears and insecurities to be comfortable in her own skin. It is based on John Green’s young adult drama novel of the same name. Besides Merced, the film stars Cree, Felix Mallard, Judy Reyes, Maliq Johnson, J. Smith-Cameron, Poorna Jagannathan, and Hannah Marks.
Spoilers Ahead
Turtles All the Way Down (2024) Plot Summary & Movie Synopsis:
“Turtles All the Way Down” is a new coming-of-age drama on Max that follows a 16-year-old girl suffering from OCD. It limits her social life and keeps her in a shell of her own mind. The screenplay, written by Elizabeth Berger and Isaac Aptaker, follows her journey as she tries to unravel the mystery surrounding a fugitive billionaire. Through that, the film navigates different aspects of her life, be it love, friendship, or education.
What happens in ‘Turtles All the Way Down’?
“Turtles All the Way Down” follows Azla Holmes (Isabela Merced), a 16-year-old OCD-afflicted teenager from Indianapolis. After her father’s death, her mother, Gina (Judy Reyes) becomes her sole guardian. Due to OCD, Azla often gets stuck in thought spirals about bacteria and seems over-protective of her health. Her psychologist, Dr Kira Singh (Poorna Jagannathan) teaches her healthy ways to deal with these issues. She tries to guide Azla to realign her vocabulary to make her feel comfortable in her own skin. However, Azla finds it hard to adjust to the therapist’s approach.
At school, Azla hangs out with her friends Daisy Ramirez (Cree) and Mychal Turner (Maliq Johnson). Daisy writes fan fiction on her blog whereas Mychal is an artist who works on experimental artworks. Even while being with them, Azla often stays fixated on her worries about bacteria surrounding her and everyone else. She always has a band-aid on one of her fingers due to the fear of infection and tries to untangle her turmoil through philosophy lessons. A TED talk by Professor Abbott at Northwestern University inspired her to dig deeper into her life through the study of philosophy.
What happens to Mr Pickett?
One day, Aza decides to go to the Applebees with Daisy to use their offer coupons. She drives her late father’s car and listens to Outkast’s Mr Jackson along the way. At the Applebees, they learn about Mr Pickett, a billionaire who recently went missing. The news speculates where he might be. They also speak about a reward if someone finds his whereabouts. In the past, Aza had been to a summer camp with Mr Pickett’s son, Davis (Felix Mallard). After that, she lost touch with him. But Daisy remembers their connection. It leads to their discussion about Davis and his house.
Aza recalls Davis being interested in using a camera, but his father kept him away, claiming he valued privacy. Daisy realizes that a camera might have captured Mr. Pickett before he went missing. So, she ditches her work and joins Aza to find the footage. While rowing toward their property, Aza gets worried about the bacteria present in the water. Once they reach the shore, they look for the camera and find it. By then, a security person had found them. So, in that awkward situation, Daisy reveals that they came to meet Davis, who is Aza’s friend. The man takes them to the Picketts’ house. Over there, Aza meets Davis after years. To her surprise, he still remembers her.
Aza & Davis’ Date
After returning home, Aza and Daisy go through the security footage photos. They find Mr Pickett leaving with a bag and decide to use this information to get money. Later, Aza goes through Davis’ online posts and realizes he is also interested in philosophy. At school, Mychal asks Daisy out on a date. Meanwhile, Aza starts texting with Davis. Together, they decide to go on a double date. During the date, Aza gets worried about her infection. Daisy helps her calm her mind. Then, they all go to Davis’ house. While Daisy spends time with Mychal, Aza goes on a walk with Davis.
During their walk, Aza talks about her condition in detail and how it always keeps her worried. Along the way, she realizes that Davis has similar interests as her. She talks about her interest in learning from Professor Abbott. But the financial issues make her reconsider her dream. Davis still motivates her to pursue it. They share a tender moment when they are about to kiss each other. But at the last beat, Aza’s worries make her worry about the hygiene issues. Alas, they return to his house where he hands over a box as a special gift. He tells her to open it only when she returns home.
What does Davis gift Aza?
Aza returns home and opens the box Davis gifted her. Inside, she finds the reward money she and Daisy were trying to earn. Earlier, she told Davis about it. So, he decided to give cash that his father hides around the house. Aza finds it strange to keep the money. But for Davis, it is immaterial. So, as he requests her, she decides to keep it and share half with Daisy. Aza tells Daisy to not tell her mother about it. Soon after, Daisy uses the money to buy a car. Aza expected her to be considerate and save it.
Meanwhile, Aza’s relationship with Davis slowly blossoms. But she also gets back to the signs of her condition that keep her from embracing it. Dr Singh tells her that many people find being intimate with another person intimidating. She tries to reframe Aza’s thoughts who struggles to look at herself kindly. Later, he returns to Davis’ house. Davis’ younger brother opens the door and shows her a note their father left. On that note, Mr Pickett crossed out a location name and then wrote ‘The Joggers Mouth’ underneath. It serves as a clue to his location.
What does Professor Abbott teach Aza?
Davis surprises Aza with a visit to Northwestern University to meet Professor Abbott. They get on Davis’ father’s private plane to Chicago to attend Professor Abbott’s class. Aza listens to the professor explain the concept of Free Will through a simple example. She loves how the professor makes these heavy concepts seem digestible and contemporary. Eventually, Aza dares to go speak with Professor Abbott in person. She talks about her concern that she is not real. Her mind stays occupied with thoughts that she would like not to have.
What does ‘Turtles All the Way Down’ mean?
Professor Abbott tells Aza an old story. Once, an astronomist was giving a lecture on his scientifically-backed, logical knowledge. A lady in the audience objected to it. She shared her belief that the Earth is resting on the back of a giant turtle. That turtle is resting on the shell of another giant turtle, and so on – until there are ‘turtles all the way down.’ Based on it, Professor Abbott feels Aza believes she is the turtle at the bottom of the pile. But in reality, she is infinite. It opens Aza up to embrace her inquisitiveness and accept the endless possibilities. Right after, she goes up to kiss Davis.
Turtles All the Way Down (2024) Movie Ending Explained:
After Aza kisses Davis, her thoughts spiral back into her mind and occupy it. She tells Davis about it. Davis tells her to embrace the present rather than worry about the future. Back home, Aza argues with her mother for her over-protective behaviour. It makes Aza feel limited. In her room, Aza receives a text from Daisy about a milestone she hit with her blog. Aza opens to read Daisy’s blog for the first time. While going through her writing, she realizes that the fictional character of Ayala is based on her. So, after their next day at school, she confronts Daisy.
Why did Daisy write about Ayala?
Daisy accepts that Ayala is based on Aza. But she calls out Aza’s self-centeredness, which made her realize it years after she started writing it. Daisy talks about how she isn’t as privileged as Daisy and how Aza pays little attention to her interests. That’s why she started to write this fanfic to make peace with being her best friend. Aza argues back by talking about her condition that she wishes she could control, but often can’t. Due to her sudden rush of emotions, Aza ends up having a car accident. Immediately after, she starts worrying about the damage and how her dad would have felt.
Because of the accident, Aza gets hospitalized and suffers from internal bleeding. Gina stays with her during this time. Aza doesn’t want to stay in the hospital filled with the threat of surrounding bacteria. Worried about it, she wakes up at night and tries using the sanitizer to clean her mouth. Gina realizes that and stops her. Dr Singh soon meets her to check up on her condition. After getting discharged, Aza meets Davis and becomes honest about her condition which affects her decision about their relationship. Back home, Gina opens up about her fears and her feelings of loneliness. She likes that Aza never stops trying to do some things despite her fears.
Do Aza and Daisy find Davis’ missing father?
After her chat with her mother, Aza goes to Mychal’s art show and meets Daisy. They resolve their issues and become friends again. While hanging out around a tunnel, they notice a sign of Mr Pickett’s presence around them. So, they figure he might have killed himself in the river. After Davis learns about it, he and his brother plan to move away to distance themselves from the painful memories of their father’s loss. Before leaving, Davis gifts Aza a painting she liked at his house. Later on, Daisy boosts Aza’s confidence to accept that she has a bright future despite all the uncertainties.
Turtles All the Way Down (2024) Movie Review:
“Turtles All the Way Down” has all the classic elements of the coming-of-age genre. It is about a teenager, who tries to overcome her flaws and fears and be a mature version of herself. Besides, it also involves the element of first love (or love in general), which makes her realize her priorities and decide the future she wants for herself. Despite not having read the John Green novel, I can sense the deeply resonating portrait he must have carved in his work.
Elizabeth Berger & Isaac Aptaker’s cinematic translation achieves that effect to make the older people reminisce about their past and the younger ones have a film they can hold dear. Although it is occasionally dismissed as ‘popcorn philosophy’, I admire the emotional maturity the writing brings to this film. The quotes by old philosophers may not have been used for their original intention. But the script understands the value of interpretation in young minds and how it can be impactful in those formative years.
Hannah Marks’ direction finds a wonderful balance between the film’s light-hearted, breezy romantic comedy and affecting psychological drama. It explores elements of teenage friendships and love with a fine understanding just like Kelly Fremon Craig did through her films. Despite occasional dramatized scenes, the film values subtlety. Isabela Merced & Cree are highlights from the acting department, who find several finer details in their characters’ anguish. While their characters are well-written, Merced and Cichhino present them with an admirable naturalism. Be it about the joy of discovery, the understanding of friendship dynamics, or the importance of letting go, “Turtles All the Way Down” is one of the better coming-of-age dramas in the recent past.
Read More: Everything Coming to Hulu in May 2024
Trailer:
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