To the Bone

Ellen Lily Collins is a 20-year-old college dropout grappling with anorexia who returns home to live with her stepmother, Susan, Carrie Preston, and her father after a failed in-patient program. With her absentee father unwilling to engage, Ellen’s stepmother arranges for her to join a specialized program run by Dr. William Beckham. Ellen is hesitant, but her younger half-sister, Kelly, encourages her to give it a try.

Ellen moves into the house with six other patients, including Luke, an upbeat ballet dancer who is nearing recovery from both his anorexia and a knee injury. Luke acts as a moral support for the group and grows particularly invested in Ellen, eventually revealing that he is a fan of Ellen’s art.

During a family-therapy session with Beckham, Ellen’s father fails to show up. The film reveals that 18 months earlier Ellen lived with her mother, who abandoned her to move to Phoenix, Arizona, with a lesbian partner. It is also revealed that a piece of Ellen’s artwork she posted on Tumblr was cited as an influence by a girl who later died by suicide. Ellen vows to improve, but she continues to lose weight.

As progress unfolds, Ellen changes her name to Eli and bonds with the other residents. She is surprised when Luke kisses her and confesses he is starting to fall in love. She panics and rejects him.

Later, she learns that Megan, another resident, miscarried her baby after resuming purging at 12 weeks, believing it was safe. The news sends Eli into a tailspin, and she decides to leave.

On her way out, Luke begs her to stay, explaining that he needs her because his knee condition is permanent and he cannot dance the same way again. Eli leaves anyway.

Near death, Eli goes to her mother’s home. That night, her mother expresses guilt for the postpartum depression she had after giving birth to Ellen and suggests that she might try feeding Eli with a bottle while rocking her to help solve both their issues. Eli finds the idea strange, but after her mother tells her that she would accept if Eli chooses death, she agrees to be rocked and fed rice milk from a bottle.

After eating, Eli goes for a walk at night. She collapses and hallucinates that she is in a tree where she kisses Luke, who helps her see how sick she is. He gives her a piece of coal that represents her courage, and she swallows it.

Waking from the dream, Eli decides to return home. She embraces her stepmother and her half sister before continuing in Beckham’s patient program.

Last Updated: October 04, 2025 at 01:15