The Lovely Bones

Starring:  Saoirse Ronan, Mark Wahlberg, Rachel Weisz
Drama, Rated PG 13 (2009)

Susie Salmon (Ronan) is a bright energetic fourteen year old on the cusp of finding her first love.  She has a loving family and dreams of being a photographer.  All of this is taken away from her when an unsuspecting neighbor murders her.  Susie finds herself in the midst of a nightmare that she can't wake up from when she discovers that she has been killed.  She is not ready to let go of her family just as they are not ready to let go of her so she lingers in a mystical in between world and watches with anger and sadness as her family unravels in the wake of her disappearance and her killer goes on with his life as if nothing happened.  She wills her family to discover her murderer as much for herself as for them.

• This movie uses a lot of great imagery and symbolism to make connections between life on earth and the afterlife.  It isn't spelled out for you and sometimes is confusing but leaves you to draw some of your own conclusions about where Susie has gone to after her death and what that means. 
• She remains intangibly connected to her family and people that she knew.  Though her physical presence is no more there are moments where they can sense her.
• This movie really gives voice to victims in a way that I have not ever seen before.  It makes you really think about all of those people in the world who have been viciously taken too soon and the thoughts and feelings that might occur after being murdered, taken from your life, and knowing that there is absolutely nothing you can do about it.
• The story line was very captivating and took us on a journey that showed a unique perspective of everyone involved.
•  I wanted closure, justice, and I wanted to know exactly how Susie died but all of those answers weren't given to us.  They left some things undone in this movie which didn't sit well with me but it was fitting. Murder is messy and raw.  There are no neat little happy endings.
• Ronan is a talented actress which was obvious from her break out role in Atonement. She is clearly one to watch and will likely have a long career in the movie biz.

5 Stars