Turtles All The Way Down

I just finished watching Turtles All the Way Down, the movie adaptation of John Green’s novel. The story follows Aza Holmes, a teenager living with OCD, whose intrusive thoughts often spiral into endless loops. At its heart, the film isn’t just about solving a mystery, it’s about Aza’s struggle to navigate friendship, love, and identity while living with a mind that constantly questions reality.

As a psychology graduate, I found it fascinating how John Green captured the lived experience of OCD. Clinically, OCD is defined by two main features: (1) Obsessions - unwanted, intrusive thoughts, images, or urges that cause distress. These includes fears of contamination, doubts, or seeking reassurance. Then we have, (2) Compulsions - repetitive behaviors or mental rituals performed to reduce anxiety, such as checking, cleaning, counting, or seeking reassurance. 

People with OCD often recognize that their thoughts and behaviors are excessive, yet feel powerless to stop them. Research shows that symptoms can consume more than an hour a day, disrupting daily functioning and relationships. The cycle usually begins with rumination -- temporary relief, they reinforce the loop, making obsessions return stronger. 

One of the most striking moments is when Aza talks to Professor Abbott about whether she is “real.” She shares the famous anecdote of the Earth resting on a turtle, which itself rests on another turtle, and so on—“turtles all the way down.” This story becomes a metaphor for Aza’s spiraling thoughts: there may never be a final answer, but that doesn’t mean life is meaningless.

The adaptation captures both the humor and the heaviness of John Green’s writing. It shows how Aza’s OCD shapes her relationships, but also how she finds strength in vulnerability and connection. More than a mystery, it’s a story about living with uncertainty and still choosing love, friendship, and meaning

For me, the film is a reminder that mental health stories matter. They help us see beyond the label, into the lived experience of uncertainty and resilience. Even when life feels like “turtles all the way down,” there is still room for friendship, love, and meaning.

PS. I still have to read the book though hehe I might edit this once I'm done with it :) 

PPS.  I love Professor Abbott's anecdote. I'll share the exact line from the movie:

“That reminds me of an old story. There’s this very famous scientist giving a lecture on astronomy to a large audience. He’s describing how the Earth orbits the Sun, and the Sun orbits the Galaxy, etcetera, etcetera. And when he’s finally done, a little old lady in the back raises her hand and says: ‘Professor, with all due respect, what you’ve just told us is bullshit. The Earth rests on the back of a giant turtle.’ The scientist asks, ‘Well then, what does the turtle stand on?’ And the lady says, ‘It’s turtles all the way down.’”

 

“The point is, you can keep asking what’s underneath, what’s behind it all, and you’ll never get to the bottom. But that doesn’t mean it isn’t real. It just means reality is infinite, and we live inside of it.”

E.