Did Bridge to Terabithia emotionally scar anyone else as much as it emotionally scarred me?

Submitted by Getofffmycloud t3_z50uxi in movies

Bridge to Terabithia is one of those movies that haunts me to this day even now as an adult. The first time I watched it I went to the movie theatre so excited and ready for an epic amazing story and when it happened I was in complete and utter shock. I cried, my heart dropped and everything seemed to go silent. The way I felt, the shock of it all, was an absolute brick wall that left me emotionally bruised.

When I think about it for too long I get shivers. I’ve never discussed how this movie has made me feel with anybody but I wonder if it was a little traumatizing to watch as a child or if it was one of those movies that just kind of teaches children the way of the world.

I think of my own life and having similar circumstances occur to me when I was 10 it was all just a little jarring.

Incredibly beautiful movie but extremely damaging to my psyche. One of the most impactful movies of my entire life second to only ‘a little princess’.

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never_be_boring t1_ixtq4z9 wrote

It was that way for me with the book. I didn't realize books could be gut wrenching. I remember my mom walking in on me sobbing

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xion778 t1_ixtum0k wrote

Same. I read the book as a kid. I had no desire to see the movie when it came out.

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Getofffmycloud OP t1_ixtqqup wrote

I don’t even know what I would have been like had I read the book before I saw the movie. I was an avid reader and books surely hit closer to home than movies. This was probably one of those instances where the universe knew I wouldn’t be strong enough to read it in a book

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JackRiverside t1_ixv1iwz wrote

What the book does for you that the movie doesn’t is builds on the differences of the father and son and resentment they have for each other. But when this all goes down it’s the father who reaches out to him and supports him emotionally. The tragedy and the love in all the same moment is so much emotion it’s hard not to tear up. It’s real and raw but shows the complexity of the relationships you have with others.

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[deleted] t1_ixvhk9e wrote

We read it in 7th grade and I still remember how upset the class was. This was almost 30 years ago

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allthestruggle t1_ixvkqae wrote

I read it in 6th grade and a parent literally went to the school board to try and get it banned. Because you know it's not like kids will ever have to deal with tragedy I guess...

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not-the-meep t1_ixw4vq5 wrote

Did the same thing around 5th-8th grade (not sure when exactly) and had a similar reaction. Though honestly more disappointed than saddened as I had seen the trailer for the movie, but I never went to see it and I had already read several stories like Where the Red Fern Grows and Old Yeller. As a result, I went into the book expecting the sort of straight forward adventure novel that the trailers had promised but was emotionally well prepared for when the did end up tragedy occurring. Honestly no that I'm older I do feel the sadness of the tragedy, but when I read it I was more frustrated that they never actually went on any Narnia style adventures.

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Gemmabeta t1_ixtq9mq wrote

The novel was written because Katherine Patterson's 8-year-old son's best friend was struck by lightening and died. And the book served as therapy by proxy for both of them.

David Patterson later wrote the screenplay of the film, I can't even begin to imagine how you would feel about that when you are revisiting that.

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Getofffmycloud OP t1_ixtqm2r wrote

I can only imagine the peace that writing the book brought to her. I always think about expression in the form of art. And for it to produce such a hauntingly beautiful story is so bittersweet. It was a very hard thing to go through as a child. I’m sure I didn’t quite understand the impact it had on me in the moment but as the years go by whenever the story is mentioned I get some spooky chills as I recall the moment I realized she was gone and then I start to think about how much I relate to Jesse in the following days after it happened. It’s a lot of emotions going through me.

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Czl2 t1_ixtse2i wrote

> Bridge to Terabithia is one of those movies that haunts me to this day even now as an adult.

The film teaches viewers about death. It teaches the pain of loss and devastation you feel. Having your psyche immunized / desensitized by fiction can make your psyche stronger when similar situations arise in your life.

Your parents will die, your spouse and/or children will die, you will die. We may not like to think about it but all this is inevitable. All these events can damage your psyche.

Consider the film a vaccine to prepare your psyche cope with dire life situations. By watching the film you are making a trade: short-term pain for long-term gain.

> Incredibly beautiful movie

100% agree!

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Frenzied_Cow t1_ixtqin2 wrote

I don't remember how old I was when I watched it. I couldn't even tell you what it's about anymore. But I vividly remember being upset by it lol.

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Huegod t1_ixtshp2 wrote

I have yet to watch the film. The book hit hard enough

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ikickedagirl t1_ixuo31d wrote

Don’t bother. The girl that plays Leslie, is simply not the character. The actress was way too girly and smiley.

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spyson t1_ixu94b4 wrote

The most fucked up thing was that the trailer mislead you into thinking it was a fantasy adventure film starring two kids.

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jl_theprofessor t1_ixuzucp wrote

I went in expecting Narnia and got... not that.

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dinoroo t1_ixtuzry wrote

I felt the same. I remember when it was released in theaters. I remembered the trailers. It’s look like some fun fantasy film. I never actually caught it in the theater. But saw it on tv a year or two later. I don’t even think I saw the beginning of it, I wasn’t paying attention to the movie. But got drawn in, felt so bad for the kid because of his situation, not having friends. He meets this girl and finally develops a new friendship. And then…I was just like, was that real? I don’t cry while watching movies but it caught me off guard. And then I again felt even worse for the boy because he finally made a connection and it was taken from him.

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Successful-Plan114 t1_ixusev1 wrote

The Neverending Story scarred me for life long before Bridge to Terabithia existed.

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zoethebitch t1_ixuuaup wrote

I saw this as an adult, hadn't read the book, and was devastated.

I would have been absolutely wrecked if I had seen it as a child.

(Edit: fixed typo)

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IPTBFM t1_ixuogxe wrote

First time I saw it, it was at Christmas, after lunch and it was just on television. I watched it kind of in the background, with the expectation that I'd probably fall asleep during it. I didn't. And it's stuck with me ever since.

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gwem00 t1_ixvsi6b wrote

Having read the book, I had hoped the producers had just “just purchased the title”. I wanted some sort of never ending story thing. Nope. I hate the book and movie. Not because either is bad. They are so good and it hurts me deep in the feels.

Damn good story. But damn. Feels man.

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kayesoob t1_ixvdb3o wrote

Yup. Read it as a class in Grade 5. It wrecked me. I still can’t read it completely.

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wingthing666 t1_ixvs7wv wrote

I somehow avoided being exposed to Terabithia as a kid. Learned about the big traumatic spoiler as an adult and have decided never to engage with either book or movie.

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Themistaker t1_ixtzw45 wrote

Yeah I definitely feel like watching this as a child was wild, left me feeling devastated. I had no idea what to expect coming into the movie and thought I was going to see a film about an imaginary fantasy world that then because real type of thing so was super thrown by what happens.

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sugarbear1107 t1_ixuhz94 wrote

I took my 2 kids to see it, they were 7 and 9, I didn't know about it, it had good reviews and a good cast. My poor 7 year old son was traumatized, he kept asking, "she didn't really die did she?". I think he fell in love with the actress, so there was a long talk about acting and characters in movies. I felt terrible about it! He says now he doesn't remember being upset, but it taught me a lesson!

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Feuver t1_ixvaf82 wrote

I thought the movie was overall okay. Course, I can't say I enjoyed the big twist, though I suppose I still remember that movie years later, where a lot of movies I tend to forget so it did something right.

I understand why the story uses that beat narratively, but I found it very random. Things like that happen in real life, granted, but fiction I tend to enjoy differently.

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WarrenThanatos t1_ixvbxas wrote

I remember reading it in school - fifth grade, I think? Teacher pushed it hard and I never really got why, until the end(or the large spoiler). Then I was like oooooh.

I think the movie really failed to capture the spirit and tone. It felt a bit silly to me, personally.

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purritosofyeeyee t1_ixvlrcd wrote

i remember they made us watch it when i was very tiny,its one of the rare foreign movies i remember watching as a child besides lovely bones(dont watch that as a child fr it made me traumatized)

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[deleted] t1_ixvpj7u wrote

It was probably the movie I watched as a kid that made me realize I prefer stories with sad endings. It may be masochistic, but I want those emotional scars. It stays with me for longer, and feels more true to life.

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Personal-Tip-8876 t1_ixwaicn wrote

in 2nd grade me and my friend down the street had cool adventures in the woods behind our houses and once came upon a little bridge over a trickle of stream that we were never able to find again. so when i read the book in 5th grade, i had an image ready to go, and my friend had moved away. also im a boy and she was a girl

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Obamas_Tie t1_ixwcobn wrote

I remember when they broke the news to him I was thinking, as a 10 year old kid, that it was so fake, that there was no way she was actually dead. If I was older I would've thought the film didn't have the balls to do that (didn't know it was based off a book at first).

And then it hit that she was truly gone and it fucked me up.

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zachtheperson t1_ixwmoat wrote

It was weird for me. My class read the book after the movie trailers started airing, and they made it look like it was going to be another Narnia. I was pretty disappointed that it seemed to be about two kids just playing pretend in the woods. The story ended up being pretty good and the ending sad, but because I went in with different expectations it kind of took me out of it.

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pmaurant t1_ixwx028 wrote

I didn’t read the book. I watched the movie expecting a good fantasy movie. I was very disappointed.

The marketing was nit good for this movie.

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Saiph_orion t1_ixtt1gv wrote

I was in my 20s when I watched it, I cried so much. I thought it was going to be a fun, fantastical film and it was....until it wasn't.

I have not seen it a second time.

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st3akkn1fe t1_ixtw1kg wrote

I watched it as a teenager and wasn't really that invested in it. Like, I didn't mind it but it doesn't have any long lasting impact or it hasn't stayed with me. I didn't see the big plot point coming though and remember being surprised by that.

The only scene I remember in really is the dad catching the boy as he run crying through the woods.

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Friendofthegarden t1_ixu8vxb wrote

Got me right in the childhood. When I saw they were remaking it, the memories of the book and first movie immediately came flooding back. Still haven't had the urge to watch it.

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jackofslayers t1_ixuvd9w wrote

Weakness. I had to read the book in elementary school. That was fucked up.

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pocketMagician t1_ixuvtlc wrote

Yes fuck that movie, fuck Zoe Deschanel's big pretty eyes.

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Getofffmycloud OP t1_ixuvyi1 wrote

I would be livid with my teacher if that were me lol I would hate her so much

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fumbs t1_ixv0kw0 wrote

It was an emotional story but the movie did not affect me. I had read this book around 40 times already. It made me cry every time but for summer reason it just spoke to me.

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vorg7 t1_ixvh5a0 wrote

I was emotionally scarred by how much worse it was then the book.

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elanderholm t1_ixvlc3b wrote

Yes. I still think about it and hate it. My wife too.

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not-the-meep t1_ixw5bku wrote

Honestly by the time I read the book, (Never went to see the movie) I had already read Old Yeller and Where the Red Fern Grows. Those two books honestly had more of an impact on me at the time then Bridge to Terabithia did

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Mintleaf007 t1_ixx09ul wrote

Never seen it, I'll have to check it out.

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murtygurty2661 t1_ixx3cs6 wrote

I remember watching getting blindsided by death and then realising none of it was real.

My first major critic of a movie. Just sat back with my little brother and both of us just thought it would have been far more enjoyable if there was no death or at the very least if everything was actually real.

Looking back I can see it was trying to tell a story about the loss of innocence and a child having to face how cruel the world can be but my god that was not how the movie was advertised at all from what I remember.

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VanSnugglepusstheIII t1_ixx4l64 wrote

My grandmother read this book to me as a child she read to me way past what is normal lol age wise. We would revisit some books together but this one she said she would never read again and we never did it was so gut wrenchingingly real and so expressive it hurt to relive that pain. She read to me till she died. Less and less for sure as I bacme an adult and we would hit Where the Red Fern Groes once more. We never gave this one another read once was enough.

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MoonageDayscream t1_ixxac4t wrote

I loved the book so much I felt the movie couldn't hurt me. I knew already, and was awash in the nostalgia of my childhood grief and the affirmation that wasn't alone in my loneliness.

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barnardNDT t1_iy1tmqb wrote

As a child the movie "My Girl" prepped me for this.

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thebrainpal t1_ixxn1g9 wrote

It’s literally known for this.

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halborn t1_ixunyrx wrote

>Did Bridge to Terabithia emotionally scar anyone else as much as it emotionally scarred me?

Yes. That was the entire point.

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Getofffmycloud OP t1_ixuo3an wrote

You definitely could have kept scrolling nobody needs your bad attitude on this thread

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