Follows teenager Clay Jensen, in his quest to uncover the story behind his classmate and crush, Hannah, and her decision to end her life.
Dream big, they say. Shoot for the stars. Then they lock us away for 12 years and tell us where to sit, when to pee and what to think. Then we turn 18, and even though we've never had an original thought, we have to make the most important decision of our lives. And if you don't have the money and don't really have the grades, a lot of the decision gets made for you.
Everybody wants to talk. No one wants to do anything.
— I love you, Hannah.
— Why didn't you say this to me when I was alive?
People need to take responsibility for their actions...and face the consequences, one way or another.
No one knows for certain how much impact they have on the lives of other people. Oftentimes, we have no clue. Yet we push it just the same.
Life is unpredictable...and control is just an illusion. And sometimes all that unpredictability is overwhelming. And it makes us feel small and powerless.
I needed a change. I needed to be someone new. Have you ever felt like that? I wasn't going to be invisible anymore. I was going to start brand new. I was going to cut away the past...and leave it all behind. I was going to work harder. Be smarter. And be stronger. Because you can't change other people, but you can change yourself.
I remember thinking, "There's no handles on that bag. How are they gonna pick her up? How are they gonna carry her?" And they just grabbed the bag and threw her in the ambulance. Just like that.
— He's keeping secrets.
— He's 17. I'd be worried about him if he weren't keeping secrets.
— Oh, wait, everyone. It's Justin Foley and Zach Dempsey, star basketball players here at Liberty High. Hey, Justin, where's my bike? Justin stole my bike.
— What the fuck? What are you doing?
— I'm giving our new foreign exchange students a tour. Figured they should know who owns the school, right, you guys?
— Clay.
— Right, right. Moving on. Where were we? Right. The auditorium. Oh, oh, but before we go... I want to show you something super cool. Okay?
— Clay, cut it out.
— Look at these lockers. They all look alike, right? Not this one. This one is special. It belonged to a girl who killed herself.
— Clay, come on!
— You see all these "don't kill yourself" posters up on the wall? They weren't up before. They put them up because she killed herself. And why did she do it? Because the kids her treated her like shit!
— Jensen, that's enough.
— But no one wants to admit it, so they paint over the bathrooms and put up the memorial, because that's the kind of school that this is! Everyone is just so nice until they drive you to kill yourself! And sooner or later the truth will come out! It's gonna come out.