Brittany Snow’s directorial debut, Parachute, is a heart wrencher of a film. Becoming as human and authentic a story about body dysmorphia as you will see. Courtney Eaton is frankly astounding in this star-making turn.
Riley (Courtney Eaton) has recently been released from rehab after struggling with her addictions to food and body image. She meets Ethan (Thomas Mann) and finds herself navigating the line between love and a new addiction.
Complete honesty on this one. When I started losing weight years ago, I began to struggle with body dysmorphia; it’s something that sneaks its way into your mind and becomes an entity in there that isn’t overly keen on leaving no matter how much you try. It is also something you must live with; it doesn’t entirely disappear from your mind but lingers around. So with that, this review may be a touch biased, but I think that bias is because of how well Parachute does with the subject.
From the instances of Riley hanging out with Ethan and during movie time needing to go on her spin bike to burn some extra fat to punishing herself with endless sit-ups (mine was deciding late night runs were required because I weighed myself and didn’t like that the number was lower than the day before). Riley is going through it in a complex way, and the constant comparing scenes of Riley grabbing at her stomach and legs may seem monotonous to those not aware of her condition, but it is something that happens. You do everything to get rid of that stubborn area to no result; you work harder than ever to get there, and yet, there it is, mocking you.
Brittany Snow and Becca Gleason have written such an affecting film here with Parachute that anyone who also has it could almost get twitchy from it. It nails everything to do with eating disorders and body dysmorphia, but most importantly, it never judges and never uses it as a joke. It plays those aspects as straight and as an arrow and does wonders for it. Not many, if any, films that I can remember get it all so right and ensure that while this is a story involving someone with these issues. It isn’t an all-encompassing piece about it.
This is a film about the people affected by it. Riley, who has it, and Ethan, who is trying to support her in any way he can, are stuck in another co-dependent relationship. He is a constant go-to support for his alcoholic father, and his family situation has caused him to have a dependency on those he gets close to, which is perfect for the emotionally needy Riley. Their relationship is full of emotional abuse, as Ethan uses Riley to distract himself from his family, and Riley uses Ethan to get through her issues. They can’t be together, but they also need to be together. If Riley goes without Ethan, she will be even further down the rabbit hole of her body issues. Eating whatever is in the fridge in a gorging fashion and then lamenting that moment of “weakness”. With Ethan, he will be a boat without an ore, just drifting, waiting on that call to collect her drunk dad.
Should they be together? Not at the time they are, no. When Riley is in a healthier place? Maybe. But then, life is a journey, and maybe these two found each other at the right time to see their lowest and scratch and claw their way back from it—just not together. It’s such an interesting dynamic that is presented here and perfectly punctuated by our two leads.
Courtney Eaton does some unbelievable work in Parachute. You equally ache for her as much as you want to curse and shake her. Eaton’s performance is all upfront, we see what Riley is going through as clear as day, including her struggles from the tiniest things that take a toll on her. Equally, Thomas Mann gives a complex performance full of spark. He plays the worn-down but hopeful Ethan to a tee. Together, they are perfect, and you feel a natural chemistry between the two actors.
The supporting cast is filled with reliable hands who can command their roles but give enough space for the leads to shine. Gleason and Snow seem to have purposefully kept them at arm’s length for the viewer so that we can focus on the couple, which is a shame as there are instances where we could learn more about these characters without it detrimenting the overall story of Parachute.
Snow keeps a careful touch in her directorial debut, which will surely lead to more work behind the camera. She has a keen visual eye for characters that pulls you in, and as a writer with Gleason, you sense the care and attention put into Parachute to make you notice that this story is essential. The vulnerability of the story and the characters is executed brilliantly, though the only real downside to Parachute? That characters partake in a gender reveal party…
Other than that, you can’t fault Parachute, and it becomes a film that starts a conversation about how Hollywood has been unable to tell a complex story like this successfully.
★★★★ 1/2
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