It’s only been a few weeks since I first ventured out to theaters, and Words on Bathroom Walls was the first film I decided to see. This decision was made solely based on the trailer I randomly stumbled across on Youtube one day. With that being said, it came as a bit of a surprise to me when I saw this movie was an adaptation of the book of the same name written by Julia Walton. Naturally, when I got home I immediately ordered the book since I was so fond of the film. In my head, I assumed that not much had changed from text to screen, so I didn’t even give it second thought.
And I really wasn’t disappointed at all! I do believe a large part of that has to do with the fact that I watched the movie first. For whatever reason I can separate the two versions of something better that way (as my experience with the second season of The Alienist revealed). Yes, Adam was still a high school student who moves to a new school after experiencing a schizophrenic episode at his prior one. Yes, he meets and falls in love with the quirky, blunt, and beautiful Maya, and yes, he struggles with his time on the new trial drug.
Things that are a little different would be how much he was being bullied by a student named Ian, but that was no big loss. I was a little disappointed at the lack of his friend Dwight! I think that would have been a great character, especially since Adam and Maya’s relationship isn’t as full-blown as it was in the novel. Also something that was a bit more dramatized was Adam’s relationship with his stepdad, Paul. It was a lot more contentious in the film, so I appreciated this more subtle approach in the book. There was more of an interesting backstory given to Maya in the film, which I feel like was necessary and not executed in an garish way. Good job with that!
I suppose the biggest difference is that the book is narrated through letters that Adam is writing to his therapist, where the approach in the movie is that Adam is verbally relaying the events of his life to his therapist. I mean, no big deal there. It’s a format change that was totally necessary. Especially since we never really know the identity of the therapist in either scenario. I assume the goal is for us to feel like Adam’s therapist. Either way, loved this book, and it’s a nice quick read if you’ve got some time on your hands!