Bridge to Terabithia

Like many my age, one of the most important reading experiences of my childhood was Katherine Paterson’s “Bridge to Terabithia.” It’s one of the rare pieces about kids that does not condescend or sugar-coat, but bothers to create real, living, breathing characters that have thoughts, passions and joy within them. For many kids, it’s the first story they’ll encounter that actually dares to be about subjects that they’ll be dealing with the rest of their lives - love, dreams, fear, death, renewal. Reading the book is a powerful and emotional experience.

This is what made me so wary of the film version when it was first advertised. The trailer seemed to indicate that the movie would place most of its emphasis on the special effects, making it almost “Narnia-lite.” The early writings about it filled me with little more hope. I thought, that story is too important in my life to see some silly filmmakers who don’t understand the material - sponsored by Disney, no less - completely butcher it and ruin its impact for a whole new generation.

Well, I of all people should know to never judge a book by its cover - or, better, to never judge a film by its marketing campaign. Because, upon seeing “Bridge to Terabithia” this evening with the lovely and talented Caitlin Skaff, it has become apparent that the people who didn’t understand the material were those who made the trailers. For the film of “Terabithia” is little short of a triumph.

I will not spoil the plot for those who somehow have reached adulthood having never read it. I will only say that the story revolves around two kids - Jess and Leslie - who find friendship with one another in an unfriendly world, and escape to one of their own imagination. The characters are immensely likeable and identifiable - really, isn’t the real world unfriendly and scary to every kid? The film does such an amazing job of capturing the feel of childhood, and not just the romanticized or silly version most films present. Being a kid is a lot harder than most anyone will admit, and the movie recognizes that.

The special effects seen in the trailer are not the over-the-top CGI-fest they seemed to be, but rather a tasteful and genuine visualization of the world that Jess and Leslie create to escape. The creatures they invent arise out of their surroundings and the world they came from, with the evil villains clearly inspired by their tormenters from school and other things which make young life difficult. By dealing with their problems in their imaginary world, they learn to have the strength to deal with them in reality.

But then there is sadness, though what form this sadness takes I dare not reveal. I will only say that, for those who have read the book, the event which shapes the story’s last quarter is faithfully represented in the film, and has amazing emotional impact. It takes a lot for me to cry during a movie. And I will readily admit that tears came quite freely for the majority of “Terabithia”’s last 30 minutes.

Given all that could have gone wrong with this story - how many potential pitfalls could have befallen its makers along the way - it is truly remarkable that they got it so right. The actors - particularly the two leads - are magnificent. The director is Gabor Csupo, best known up to this point as a producer of animation, whose previous credits are primarily “Rugrats” and “Duckman.” Nothing would have indicated to me that he was the filmmaker to bring this story to the screen. But I am grateful he was.

I do not often say these kinds of hyperbolic phrases, but here they are. If you read the book as a child, and it meant as much to you as it did to me, you really should see this film. If you didn’t read the book as a child, you still really should see this film, as on its own merits it is definitely one of the best movies that will come out this year. And if you know a child, there is no better film to take them to than this one.