The NeverEnding Story (1984)

Bastian (Barret Oliver) is a young boy who recently lost his Mother. We meet him with his head slumped over an uneaten breakfast. His Father tells him he's disappointed in him. He wishes Bastian would stop daydreaming. On the way to school Bastian is thrown into a garbage can by some bullies. Hiding from them, he runs into a book store where he meets an old man reading a book. The old man says all the books Bastian has read so far are safe; that they allow Bastian to enter fictional worlds about dangerous situations and then leave them and go back to reality.

"And that one isn't?" Bastian asks, referring to the book in the old man's hand. The old man tells Bastian not to worry about it, but when the phone rings and the old man walks away Bastian swipes the book.

The book is called The NeverEnding Story. In the book the world of Fantasia is being consumed by a "nothingness." The nothingness doesn't make holes, it doesn't dry up lakes, it doesn't kill trees - things are just gone. A young boy and hero, Atreyu (Noah Hathaway), is given a quest to save Fantasia.


Fantasia is aptly named. It has gargantuan giant rock eaters that ride on steam roller wheels, racing snails, a giant wolfen creature of darkness with emerald eyes, and an enormous flying sheep dog named Falkor.

Bastian has read 186 books, but he hasn't learned one thing from any of them. Even though Bastian's Father is a bit of a prick he has some sound advice. "We can't let mom's death be an excuse for not getting the old job done right?"

While The NeverEnding Story works to make us believe Bastian is a part of Atreyu's plight, the film also works to make us see that Atreyu's quest is a part of Bastion's plight. The "Swamps of Sadness" where "the more sad you feel the more you sink" is a direct metaphor for the sadness Bastian feels for his mother. I haven't seen this movie for years, but I can still clearly recall Atreyu's difficult, plodding steps through the muck and his calamitous wail as his horse begins to sink.

The Ancient One Atreyu meets in the swamp represents a warning of what we can become if sadness overcomes us. It's a monstrous turtle lives completely beneath the mud and has done so for thousands of years. Atreyu tries to entreat the Ancient One. "If the nothing keeps coming you'll die too ... Don't you care?" Atreyu cries. The Ancient One replies: "We don't even care whether or not we care."

Boy that's gloomy.

The NeverEnding Story completely disregards that old writing adage "show don't tell." Through dialogue we are told very specifically and directly that Bastion must have wishes and must show courage. We are even told why.


But all that really matters is how the film makes us feel. The director, Wolfgang Petersen, makes the link between Bastion and Atreyu's world tangible. We watch Bastian read about Atreyu. We watch Atreyu navigate a temple's ruins, a dim blue light flooding the frame. Atreyu watches his own journey in pictures painted on the walls. He sees himself receiving the quest. Riding from the castle. Speaking with the Ancient One. Fighting to keep his horse out of the mud. The camera follows behind Atreyu and allows us to see his reaction as he looks at each picture individually. His eyes widen at a picture we can't see. The camera turns and we see a picture of a wolf with emerald eyes and threatening open jowls. When Atrayou spins around the actual wolf is there. Petersen uses his immersive and fantastic sets to intrigue our imagination, then uses carefully framed shots to keep us aware of the character's emotions.

Despite the fact the movie could not have been more direct about the message I have failed some of its lessons. There are times when I read only about danger in books. Times when I let myself sink into thick, consuming, muddy saddness. But it's not about facing a single obstacle. More challenges always surface. Our life story is never ending.

Bastian is reading The NeverEnding Story at school instead of going to class. When the school day ends he finds himself alone in a dark attic as a thunderstorm approaches. Cobweb laden stuffed foxes, science room skeletons, and crawling mice flicker in the spurts of lightning.

"Atreyu wouldn't quit now," Bastian says. We hear you Bastian. We won't quit either.