Drama 'Every Day' blends romance, social critique

We have all experienced the pain of being judged for our appearances. No matter how many times we hear the hackneyed phrase, “It’s what’s on the inside that counts,” we still find it impossible to leave the comforting privacy of our homes without first scrutinizing our reflections in the bathroom mirror. But what if our physical features weren’t so important to us? What if we realized that the internal actually should be more highly valued? “Every Day” (2018) provides entertaining yet thought provoking answers to these questions, and in turn asks some of its own.

Protagonist and high school student Rhiannon (Angourie Rice) desperately longs for someone who understands her. The daughter of a neurotic father (Michael Cram) and seemingly unfaithful mother (Maria Bello),the younger sister of a “rebellious” punk (Debby Ryan) and the girlfriend of a selfish and arrogant sleaze (Justice Smith), Rhiannon maintains very few close relationships and will soon fade away into nothingness unless someone comes along who cares enough about her to reignite her passion for life. However, as Rhiannon will soon discover, this “someone” is not a person, but rather a consciousness (self-named "A"), that wakes up every day in a different body. Of course, Rhiannon is originally cynical and suspicious, but as she begins to appreciate and accept A’s unrelenting gestures of adoration, she gradually regains the ability to love herself.

Although the film is centered around Rhiannon, the supporting characters provide palpable energy to every scene. They are each flawed in their own ways, but their humanity still shines through, making them quite sympathetic; their good natures become even more apparent as Rhiannon realizes that she is not quite as alone as she had once thought. These characters reinforce the lesson that one cannot determine everything from appearances and also demonstrate that the people in our lives who we deem insignificant are in fact the protagonists of their own stories. For example, Rhiannon’s seemingly uninteresting and aloof friend Alexander (Owen Teague) reveals himself to be an intelligent and thoughtful dreamer, passionate about the vibrancy of humankind. Thus, the minor characters are just as enticing as the heroine, and they pull the audience even further into the story.

Based on David Levithan’s book of the same name, "Every Day" brings the novel to life on the big screen through the immense effort made by the cast and crew. Director Michael Sucsy encouraged the 15 actors who played A to read all of the character’s scenes, not just the ones in which they appeared. Because of this excellent direction, the acting is praiseworthy; the movie flows seamlessly, and the audience can easily follow A’s narrative, despite the constant changes between actors. In other words, the acting beautifully reflects the lesson that the film endeavors to teach — appearances do not and should not matter.

Interestingly, the cinematography also mirrors this message. Nothing about the camera work or the soundtrack particularly stands out, so viewers direct their attention solely to character development. After all, as with any movie, it is the acting that drives the story forward. A diminished emphasis on special effects also allows the audience to better relate to the film and even imagine themselves in the roles. Similarly, the structure of the film feels much like “Groundhog Day” (1993), in that the day-to-day lives of the characters are repetitive — not necessarily monotonous, but instead an echo of the repetition that we often discover in our own lives. Thus, because the audience can easily identify with Rhiannon, we experience her final triumph as ours. We leave the theater feeling hopeful about the futures of our relationships with others as well as with ourselves.

“Every Day” is not just a film. It is the incredibly real teenage narrative that anyone of any background is familiar with. In the age of technology, in which appearance is everything, we need reassurance that we are not just bodies, but also that our inner light shines brighter than anything external ever could. Though we all have days when we wish we could be different people, we can only strive to be the best selves that we can be; as soon as we welcome that person into our hearts we can be truly happy.