Max released the trailer for “Turtles All the Way Down,” the film based on John Green's 2017 book for young adults, on Wednesday before its May 2 debut.
As per the movie's official summary, “‘Turtles All the Way Down’ deals with anxiety through its 17-year-old lead character, Aza Holmes (Isabela Merced). Being Aza is not easy, but she's attempting to be a good daughter, friend, and student while coping with a constant flow of intrusive, obsessive thoughts. When she reunites with Davis (Felix Mallard), her childhood crush, Aza is faced with important questions about her potential for love, happiness, friendship, and hope.”
In the latest preview for the film directed by Hannah Marks, Merced’s voice immediately immerses viewers into the mind of a young girl with an anxiety disorder, intrusive thoughts battling through her mind.
“Your body is nothing but a host to a massive collection of parasitic organisms ready to cause infection, ready to cause infection, ready to cause infection,” the thought echoes as microscopic shots of bacteria play in a montage with Merced’s Aza walking down her school hallway. “You can feel them living and breeding and dying inside of you.”
As Billie Eilish’s “Bad Guy” plays in the background, Aza’s best friend Daisy Ramirez (Cree Cicchino) asks if she just went through a thought spiral. Aza's fear of bacteria is a constant in her life, particularly in situations like when she and Daisy canoe down the White River in Indiana.
Aza’s psychiatrist (Poorna Jagannathan) assures her that “plenty of people with anxiety disorders have fulfilling romantic relationships.” Cut to Mallard as Davis Pickett, an old friend from Camp Marigold, a space for children who have lost parents at an early age.
“I can’t date anyone, you know that,” Aza tells Daisy, who responds, “I don’t know that. Why can’t you?”
During a double date, Aza panics as a barrage of negative thoughts tell her, “You can’t have a boyfriend. You can’t go to college. You can’t even control your own brain.”
When Davis eventually asks Aza why it’s so easy to talk to her, she suggests that it’s “maybe because our hearts are broken in the same places.”
Daisy then encourages Aza to kiss Davis to prevent her from thinking about the 80 million microbes in Davis’ body in the moment. “Aza, for once in your life, do not overthink this,” she says.
Watch the full trailer, below:
