In Peter Jackson’s The Lovely Bones, the murdered girl who narrates the story is Susie Salmon.
Susie is a fourteen-year-old girl whose death becomes the emotional center of the film. From an afterlife-like realm, she watches her family struggle with grief and observes the continuing danger posed by the man responsible for her murder.
Saoirse Ronan plays Susie, while Rose McIver plays her younger sister Lindsey Salmon. The shared surname makes Lindsey a common source of confusion, but Lindsey survives and helps uncover evidence connected with Susie’s disappearance.
The film was adapted from Alice Sebold’s 2002 novel. Jackson’s version combines supernatural imagery, family drama and a crime narrative, while presenting Susie’s viewpoint as the organizing perspective. The title refers to the relationships and memories that remain after her death rather than to a literal object called a “lovely bone.”