sochima-32640

I did not read the book so I'm completely unbiased. It depicted how subtle and confusing abuse can be. People always ask why didnt they just leave their abuser. This movie depicts exactly why. Abusers are not monsters all the time. They can be loving and charming 90% of the time while the 10% is volatile and unhinged which creates confusion for the abused like it was a dream. It happened so fast the victim didn't realize what happened and convinced themself it was a accident. I've never been abused before and the message in the film was clear to me. This film is educational on relationship dynamics, anyone teenage and older should see it. Blake Lively is not the best actress but she was good for this role. One thing she is good at is conveying conflicted emotions in her face. The first sign of abuse was very subtle. He said something rude to her in a very soft sexy way. And her face went from offended, to "he must be kidding", to "i took it the wrong way, let me relax". It was great storytelling in a matter of seconds with little words. Please give Blake credit for that. I felt tense the majority of the movie bracing myself worried something bad was gonna happen, wondering how far he would take it.

I disagree with the folks saying it's so weird she's being romantically pursued by her adoptive brothers. I don't recall her being legally adopted. The boy's parents are her legal guardian until she's 18 and she's already 16. Jackie would only be living with them for less than 2 years until she goes away to college/Princeton. She has no bond with any of the family members except the 2 boys pursuing her. The parents barely even talk to her. She would have no reason to stay in touch with them after high school unless she really wanted to. It's very realistic if this happened irl that a teenage girl in a house full of hormonal boys would be into her. The only way this wouldn't happen was if she was super unattractive.

The character Jackie is smart, athletic, and good at everything she does. Personality wise she's nice but unremarkable. IMO Cole's attracted to her sadness, bc he's sad about his football injury and future plans so he's bonding to that emotion with her. He sees her as the only person more depressed than me, so she gets me.

Alex wants to be her savior, the one that makes her happy, the stereotypical white knight. Overall it's a basic teen show but it is entertaining and you connect to the characters which makes you wanna see what happens next.

I liked the suspense but it starts becoming long and drawn out by episode 5. It becomes repetitive. In the beginning they say they have to lay low and not attract attention but in every single episode they do things that bring attention to themselves. This would have been better as a movie to get straight to the point instead of a series. There are too many fluff scenes and fluff dialogue. The cast is good looking and the location settings are beautiful. They're staying at 5 star hotels and blowing through money fast. Alot of their problems wouldn't have happened if they lived a simple life so I guess the story is not supposed to make sense or be logical. Still a good watch to pass time or before bed.