By: Kelly Nguyen
Five Feet Apart tells the story of cystic fibrosis patient Stella Grant, starred by Haley Lu Richardson, who lives her life inside of a hospital. Cystic fibrosis is a disease that causes severe damage and infection to the lungs and limits breathing. In the opening scene, we meet Stella’s friends and learn that she can’t leave the hospital for regular activities. Instead, Stella spends most of her time checking off her to-do lists, meticulously planning her treatments, and filming daily Youtube videos of her time in the hospital.
Stella’s world changes when she meets another patient, Will Newman, starred by Cole Sprouse, who also has cystic fibrosis. Will is a charming boy who, unlike Stella, is pessimistic about his chances of living. However, Stella convinces Will to complete his treatments with her, and they ultimately build an intimate connection. The nurse reminds them to stay at least six feet apart at all times; otherwise, bacteria will transfer and it could be fatal. Knowing this, Stella and Will struggle to interact without any physical touch.
The reality of a tragic love story is that there’s always a turn of events: Stella and Will fall in love, and the deeper they fall, the harder it is to stay away from each other. Stella and Will fight the urge to to embrace each other, limiting their distance to five feet–allowing one less feet apart to compensate for everything they have lost from cystic fibrosis. This love story pulls at the heartstrings in all the right ways and definitely has its tear-jerking moments. I found myself at the edge of my seat, fighting against the tears and laughing at the kind-hearted moments between the two.
This film combines a little bit of everything: friendship, love, laughter, and pain. As cystic fibrosis patients, Stella and Will communicate through Facetimes, a simple touch that became one of my favorite elements of the movie. Although it was a love story between Stella and Will, I wish the film showed more depth in Stella’s relationships with the other characters. At times, I felt as though the scenes were scattered and the dialogue fell short; it would drift from one scene to the next with very little context in between. However, this film delivered by showing the importance of vulnerability and open communication between two people in a relationship.
In addition, Five Feet Apart is exactly what you would expect from a romantic film with sick patients (who fall in love). It’s a mixture of tragic and beautiful moments. Although some scenes were predictable, I was interested in what was going to happen next. It progressed slowly in the beginning, but it became suspenseful after the opening scenes. The ending was bittersweet, and in my opinion, wonderfully thought out.
Overall, this film brings awareness to cystic fibrosis, which some people have never heard about. It emphasizes the harsh reality of patients with cystic fibrosis but lacks detail. It closes with a powerful scene, a reminder to the audience to take advantage of their time with their loved ones. I would recommend this movie for people who are in for a laugh, a scare or two, and a few tears. Five Feet Apart is not one to miss.