Follow us on Twitter | Instagram
As soon as Swedish teen-drama “A Part of You” (Original title: En Del av dig) begins, it established that protagonist Agnes lives under the shadow of her older sister Julia, who is bold, beautiful, outgoing, and popular. Not just that, she also has a crush on her sister’s boyfriend Noel. So when Julia dies in a road accident, Agnes copes with the loss by trying to emulating her sister, from her clothes, make-up, to even attitude and gestures, which soon begins to disturb those around her, leading to a much needed intervention.
Created by Sigge Eklund (director) and Michaela Hamilton (writer), “A Part of You” (“En Del av dig”) stars Felicia Maxime as 17-year-old Agnes, a nervous, shy student vying for a part in the school play. The story centers on how she copes with her sister Julia’s (Zara Larsson) death, exploring themes of grief, loss, and identity crisis.
Any viewer familiar with young-adult drama can predict the events of “A Part of You” within the first ten minutes. If it weren’t for Felicia Maxime’s standout performance as the turbulent Agnes, who often behaves like a brat as a way to process her feelings, I would have likely stopped watching the film midway. She keeps switching effortlessly from an awkward “plain-Jane” to an exuberant, flashy teen living it up at parties. Her role in the school play gives her plenty of opportunities to showcase a vibrant range of emotions, and she nails every single one.
In fact, most of the cast shoulders their parts well. It would have been nice to see more of Ida Engvoll as Agnes and Julia’s mom, Carin – she is vividly moving in her brief cameo as a shattered mother who loses her child. Edvin Ryding, who previously appeared with Felicia Maxime in Netflix’s “Young Royals,” plays Julia’s boyfriend, Noel. He earnestly portrays a young man struggling to deal with his girlfriend’s death.
However, despite the powerful emotions of grief displayed by the various teen characters, the impact is diminished because Julia’s presence in the story is minimal. Her brief portrayal is rather stereotypical, and although there are some surprising revelations about her at the end, they too border on being clichéd.
Overall, “A Part of You” takes a formulaic approach to grief. The timeline of the story is unclear, except for the presence of smartphones, which might be intentional to give it a broader appeal. If you haven’t seen many teen dramas or young-adult movies centered on the themes of loss, you might find this Swedish film more satisfactory and cathartic than I did. The young cast definitely makes it worth a one-time watch.
Rating: 5 on 10. You can watch “A Part of You” on Netflix.
Read Next: Baby Reindeer Review – Traps You In Its Warped Quicksand of Abuse
Also Read: Mother-Daughter Murder Night Book Review (Audio version below)
