Teens, A Life-Threatening Disease, and Love

Movie Review: ‘Five Feet Apart’

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  A romance is flourishing in the hospital wing of two teenagers with cystic fibrosis. Directed by Justin Baldoni, the tear jerking movie features a girl named Stella (Haley Lu Richardson) who has hope for extending her life expectancy. She is an on-task, orderly, bright young girl who seems to have her life and her med cart put together.  On the other hand, a rebellious boy Will (Cole Sprouse) is not too keen on his treatments, is the complete opposite of Stella, an artistic, insurgent with a bad-tempered attitude. Will he change his act for a love that is expanding?


  With emotion, comes tears. The actors did a phenomenal job expressing emotion throughout the film. They built up the intensity to the perfect point then let it drop into a cascade of tears. In the movie theater, I could hear the whimpering and the cries from the teenage girls around me.

  Enchantment was amongst the two cystic fibrosis patients with a desire for love without touch. The display of affection towards each other played a key role in this film. This may have been challenging considering neither of them may touch due to fear they can get each other sick to the point of death. They wrote notes, Facetimed, and compiled drawings to display their desire towards each other.

  Cole Sprouse and Haley Lu Richardson exhibited congruity with their characters. They were a match made in heaven for this film! The couple together showed desire and passion as if it was real. In films, they show desire towards one another through a touch or a perhaps a kiss. Showing great strength of their relationship through talks, drawings, and a pool stick to separate them.

  The movie as a whole represented the struggles of a person with cystic fibrosis. The love, heartaches, and endless long days and nights spent within the hospital to find a treatment that works to extend or cure the longevity of their life. It also teaches you to the live every moment like its your last to take that chance such as taking that one foot to stand five feet apart instead of six. “I live to take the medicine,” said Stella. “I need to take the medicine to live.” I gave this movie a overall 3 out of 5 stars due to the movie lacking of relatability to the characters and some scenes from the movie are portrayed less than reality.