The Lovely Bones captures the beauty of tragedy.
It’s a story surrounding the loss of a young girl, Susie Salmon. Her neighbor, Mr. Harvey would build these attractions to catch the eye of children. Once he would do this, he would take their life.
This happened to the Salmon girl. She had big dreams, loved photography and her birthday had just passed. Once he had his eyes on her, he wasn’t going to stop until he had finished what he intended to do.
Although this story is centered around a young girl whose life was taken too soon, it dives further into the depth of grief, and not many movies have done so as effectively and intimately as this one. The true emotional weight lies in how her family navigates the devastating aftermath of her murder, and how each person; her father, mother and sister, grieved in their own way. It showed the depressing reality of how one lost life can lead to a family being torn apart.
This movie does not offer a traditional form of justice or closure, and maybe that’s what makes it so cinematic, the emotions are raw, and the events that happened after she disappeared are a very real and a common experience for those who lose their children, especially as violently and suddenly as them.
One of the most breathtaking aspects of The Lovely Bones is its portrayal of the afterlife. This world was an ethereal, dreamlike place, in between life and death. She saw and felt all of their pain, their emotions, pulling her back to her life before, while simultaneously feeling the ache of not being seen.
It offers a space for the children’s lives who were lost, between peace and loss; holding on and letting go. Susie was 14 when she left a void in the world she was forced to leave behind. Through her eyes, we are presented with the idea that even after death, there is an undeniable connection between lost souls – they hold onto love, memories, and pain.
Mr. Harvey was never caught, he got away while people were putting the pieces together, however, they were too late. The safe in which he kept Susie’s body was thrown into a sinkhole, her body was engulfed by one of earth’s natural creations. He fled town, and as he could not control his urges, he found his next victim, but he did not anticipate her to fight back. He was pushed down a cliff, leading to his death, his body being hidden by the snow. Although the Salmon family did not get the justice that a lot of people would want, Susie was the last person he had the chance to kill.
Not everything needs to have a happy ending for it to be beautifully composed, which this movie truly captures the harsh reality of losing someone in a cinematic manner. Even after tragedy, life does not stop. Each person’s experience grief and the struggles of life as one. This loss of a child, a sister, a companion is an unimaginable pain, but this move found beauty even in something so melancholic.
