Upcoming film adaptation of John Green novel spotlights teenage mental health

“Turtles All the Way Down,” the film adaptation of Green’s 2017 novel of the same name, will be released on Max on May 2.  

By: Pritheva Zakaria

The film adaptation of John Green’s 2017 novel “Turtles All the Way Down” is coming to Max on May 2, gaining traction after its trailer release in April. 

The film has been in the works for the past few years, according to the Hollywood Reporter. Isabela Merced stars as Aza Holmes, a 16-year-old struggling with obsessive compulsive disorder, who reconnects with a childhood crush after his millionaire father goes missing.

“It’s funny and human and explores mental illness in a deep and raw way without ever romanticizing or sensationalizing the experience,” Green told Entertainment Weekly. 

Green has tackled the emotional turmoil of teenagers since publishing his bestseller “The Fault in Our Stars” in 2012. 

Becoming a pop culture phenomenon, the novel’s film adaptation won many awards, including the MTV 2015 Movie of the Year. 

While some teens may know Green from his YouTube channel, where he teaches high school subjects alongside his brother Hank, Green has been writing for young readers for over a decade.

“I was immediately drawn to the movie because I was such a fan of John’s and this book,”  “Turtles All the Way Down” director Hannah Marks told Entertainment Weekly. “John does an incredible job of telling a teenager’s mental health story in a way that’s funny, heartfelt, and specific.”

Green’s novels and film adaptations focus on relatable aspects of adolescent life, such as mental health struggles, romantic fallouts and squabbles with parents. 

“[The ‘Turtles All the Way Down’ movie is] funny and human and explores mental illness in a deep and raw way without ever romanticizing or sensationalizing the experience,” Green told Entertainment Weekly. 

Adaptations of Green’s novels have brought to screen many young actors and actresses. Cara Delevingne’s notorious role as Margo in 2015’s “Paper Towns” and Nat Wolff’s portrayal of Margo’s love interest Quentin shot both actors into stardom. 

Previous Green adaptations have varied in success. While “The Fault in Our Stars” grossed over $300 million worldwide since its release in 2014, Hulu’s television adaptation of Green’s 2005 novel “Looking For Alaska” was pulled from the streaming service last year due to low viewership. 

The upcoming film grapples with the young adult experience.

“I like to write for and about teenagers, because young people are thinking about so many 

important questions,” Green told The New York Times. “And maybe in part because they are new to those questions, teenagers tend to approach them without much embarrassment or ironic distance.”

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