Bridge to Terabithia

The movie Bridge to Terabithia written by Jeff Stockwell and Produed by David Paterson tells the inspiring story of an incredible friendship between Jess and Leslie. Both coming from difficult home lives the two see past their differences on the outside and find a strong bond and connection with eachother; in their personal circumstance forms the base of their friendship. Being the daughter of 2 writers, Leslie has grown up with a strong imagination. Together Jess and Leslie build a virtual world in their back yard that allows them to cope with the real world.

To get to this world Leslie and Jess created together they have to swing across a river on a rope to the other side where their kingdom awaits. The once first step to Leslie and Jess's new adventure was also the author of it's ending when Leslie tries to swing across on her own one morning and has an accident. Jess comes home to the news of the death of his best friend who drowned in the river when the rope gave way and fell into the rushing river below.

A huge theme I would give for this film is Transformation:

Through

The Green lush forest that awaited the children for adventure everyday after school symbolized its meaning: hope. It gave them something to look forward to, it gave them something past their circumstances.

The River that took the life of Jess' best friend represented life force, in that there are things in life we can't control, we can't stop bad things from happening, no matter how many different ways we try to look back and play it over in our minds, it is the nature and of life.


Throughout the story one of the conflicts Jess faces at home is the relationship he shares with his five year old sister that drives him crazy. At the end of the story after Leslie dies, later after Jess experiences an Initiation. He truely and finally discovers the happiness Leslie brought to him simply through sharing her imagination to build this beautiful world. The tragedy he experienced allowed him to open his eyes to the life he was living, and he grew a new appreciation for his family. In one of the last scenes it shows Jess bringing his sister to his virtual world he once kept her far away from and in secret as he crowns her the new queen to take care of their land, for Leslie. As he crowns his little sister, they are both stopped in the middle of a bridge. This  represents the transformation he experienced through the friendship he had with Leslie.

Hero: Leslie - as she saved Jess from the depressing life he was living before her.

Mentor: Jess and Leslie's school teacher who helps Jess in his grieving process after his best friend died, and was ironically with Jess when she died.


The Devil Figure could be a series of people in this film. It could be the father of Jess that is so busy with work he leaves no time for his son. It could also most definetely be the school bully; a girl with abnormally large feet, that wouldn't let anyone go to the bathroom during recess, or the boys in Jess' class that constantly name call him. It could be all three of this characters in this film.

Bridge to teribithia was a heart renching well made movie, and it allowed me to ask myself whether I take any of my family members for grandit, it allowed me to see my life through a different pair of eyes.