Friday’s Film Round-up: The Lovely Bones

The Lovely Bones is a haunting and emotional story about the afterlife and the ripple effects of a horrific crime on a young girl and her grieving family. Based on Alice Sebold’s novel, the film—directed by Peter Jackson—tries to balance the dreamlike beauty of the afterlife with the grim reality of the crime at its center. It follows a teenage girl who, after being raped and murdered, watches from a liminal space between Earth and Heaven as her loved ones struggle to cope. Jackson’s interpretation softens some of the novel’s darker, more graphic moments, which has sparked debate. Some critics feel that this choice lessens the emotional impact that Sebold’s book delivered so powerfully. Saoirse Ronan, who plays the lead, gives a performance full of quiet strength. Her astrology—specifically Mars in Pisces trine Pluto in Scorpio—really shows through in her work. It points to a deep emotional reservoir, mixing vulnerability with inner power, something that really comes across in such a demanding and emotionally intense role.

The experience of losing a child in this manner is something any parent can imagine, and it is considered one of the most devastating events. No parent should ever have to endure such a tragedy. A similar heartbreaking story is that of Molly Bish, a 16-year-old lifeguard who was abducted and murdered. The day before her abduction, her mother reported seeing a man in a white sedan in the beach parking lot where Molly worked. It is believed that Molly’s assailant deceived her by pretending to need help. When she approached him, she was abducted. Astrologically, Molly had natal Mars in a challenging square aspect to Pluto.

People with tight hard aspects (Mars-Pluto), and not uncommonly the conjunction will often themselves have had a history of physical violence, cruelty or sexual abuse.” By Sue Tompkins, Aspects in Astrology

The emotional weight of The Lovely Bones really hits hard, especially in the scene where Susie’s murder is set against the backdrop of her family’s regular dinner at home. It’s such a heartbreaking contrast — the simplicity of a normal evening clashing with something unimaginably horrific. When her mom casually piles extra vegetables onto Susie’s plate as a small punishment for being late, it turns into this painfully ironic moment. They think she’s just running behind, completely unaware of the nightmare that’s actually happening. That ordinary act becomes a symbol of everything they don’t know yet — and it’s gut-wrenching. As viewers, we’re stuck in that moment, fully aware of what’s unfolding, while the family goes about their routine, not realizing their world is about to change forever. It leaves you with a deep sense of helplessness and dread.

This scene really shows how powerfully the film taps into our emotions. It draws out deep empathy and hits on the unsettling truth of how fragile life can be — how everything can change in an instant. The contrast between the family’s lighthearted laughter and the darkness unfolding just out of view makes the moment all the more haunting. The looming sense of tragedy, almost Plutonian in its intensity, adds weight to the scene and makes it stick with you long after the credits roll.

Mars-Pluto aspects can correlate with themes of violence, abuse, and in rare but real cases, murder. This is the territory of domination and submission, of wounds that slice deep into the psyche. In the charts of perpetrators, this might look like violence used as a way to dominate or control. Rage that has never seen the light of day, churning in the unconscious until it spills out destructively. Obsession. Manipulation. Sexual aggression. A desire to possess or destroy what one cannot control. In the charts of survivors, it can be reflected as experiences of being overpowered, violated, or traumatized. It often coincides with early encounters with danger or intensity—things no one should have to experience, but which, for reasons mysterious and karmic, some souls are asked to endure. This doesn’t mean those with this aspect are destined for abuse, not at all. But it can mean that the themes of power, control, violence, and survival are etched into the soul’s curriculum. And it’s a heavy load. But these are also the charts of people who survive the unsurvivable. Who transmute trauma into art, advocacy, and healing. Who understand the reality of darkness, not as a myth but as a lived experience. To ignore the potential for harm in this aspect would be dishonest. But to focus only on that would be to miss the deeper truth. This is an aspect of extremes. And in extreme lives—those lived on the edge, in the margins, or through cycles of trauma—it often shows up. But never forget, Mars-Pluto also rules those who fight back. Who break cycles. Who rebuild. Who burn down the prisons of their past and walk out naked, scorched, and authentic. People with this energy in their charts often come into this life with a spiritual iron in the fire, a task to transmute pain into purpose. They may experience power struggles, internal or external. They may confront violence, in the literal sense or in the subtle violences of betrayal, control, loss, and suppression. But they are not victims of fate—they are the initiates. Not everyone with Mars-Pluto aspects ends up involved in crime scenes or trauma memoirs. Some become incredible healers, protectors, activists, artists who speak truth that no one else dares utter. They can stare into the shadows—whether societal or personal—and not flinch.

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