A Part of You: Review
By Sioph W. Leal
Being a teenager brings a myriad of emotions, each more stressful than the next, with the added external pressures of society, school, and life. Agnes (Felicia Maxime) is no different, as she is trying to find herself, navigate school, family, and her interests. Her older sister, Julia (Zara Larsson), seems much more confident. She’s one of the coolest people in school, the life of every party, and she's even dating the boy Agnes has a crush on, Noel (Edvin Ryding). Agnes and Julia’s lives are turned upside down one fateful night, which is the catalyst for Agnes reinventing herself, but at a cost.
A Part of You does not shy away from grief and how one moment, one death, can affect everyone, and it cleverly uses Agnes and Julia to fully explore that. Julia fades away as Agnes starts to emulate her sister as a direct result of the change in their lives. The change comes at a pivotal moment when Agnes is trying to find herself and explore who she is by breaking out of her comfort zone and almost forcing herself into situations she would never have been in. Everyone gives her a pass, even though they look on with concern as she fades away all parts of herself into something she is not. That part of grief and depression is so rarely shown due to its complexity, but when done correctly and with care, it comes off extraordinarily real and raw. That is the case with A Part of You. The tough subject matter of death is nothing new, but choosing to focus on identity and how that change affects a person's very sense of self is a rare move but creates a dynamic story with relationships explored from every angle.
Maxime does an exceptional job as Agnes in both forms that we see her. Before the life-changing event, she is reserved and a little snappy, but very much in the background, but when she changes, she carries the nuance of grief and identity and makes Agnes feel like a real person rather than a character. Similarly, Larsson’s performance is just as impactful as Maxime's. Given that it is Larsson’s acting debut, it makes for an even greater performance as Julia. Larsson brings to life to the movie to perfectly show her character's popularity and seemingly easy life, who thrives in popularity and can show a much more layered character with a delicate yet magnetic performance that fits perfectly with the story.
This is not just a story about change and identity; the sister bond is the emotional centre, as both have their own struggles despite how they present themselves to the world and to themselves. Together and apart, we see the influence they have on each other, and there is a care that comes from both Maxime and Larsson to make their sisterly bond come across on the screen and throughout the story. While it is a raw and honest portrayal of grief, it does focus on the subdued anger from the main and supporting cast, with a tension that climbs until the final act, when confrontations finally boil over. There is also compassion in the film. For Agnes, she changes herself, but not in the best ways, for her family, who retreat instead of helping, and for her friends, who placate her behaviour in the name of grief. It’s refreshing to see a real, consuming grief portrayed so well on screen, and having it tied to a teenager discovering themselves is a great setting to explore how grief consumes and changes.
A Part of You is available to stream to Netflix on May 31st 2024.