Five Feet Apart (2019)

Despite having a less than hopeful opinion on what the film may have entailed, it is safe to say that I was pleasantly surprised by how good the film was. Having lived with Cystic Fibrosis, the condition around which 5 feet apart centres, it was easy for me to not hold the film to a high standard as I doubted it was possible to put a romantic spin on such a disease. Shockingly, I found that the book was well-thought out and it really interested me as to how the film planned to show what the book had. I was truly impressed by the quality of the film, and would happily consider Five Feet Apart to now be one of the best films I have seen in years.

Stella Grant (Haley Lu Richardson) is an O.C.D, control freak who is waiting for a new pair of lungs, and happens to be a well-known YouTube vlogger because of Cystic Fibrosis. After a frosty first meeting with Will Newman (Cole Sprouse), who has all but completely given up on his treatments, they find themselves obsessing with the other. Stella ends up unable to focus her attention on anything because she wants to ensure he’s getting the care he needs to contract his B. Cepacia, and Will thinks she’s interesting and watches all of her YouTube videos. Barb, a nurse at Saint Grace’s hospital, is present throughout their relationship but is especially strict when enforcing the rules. Another fascinating character is Poe (Moises Arias), another in-patient on the Cystic Fibrosis ward, who Stella considers to be her best friend. With such a healthy variation of characters, I found that I was fond of all of them over the course of the film, and would not be able to choose a favourite, should anyone ask.

The stagecraft itself was a work of art, with the film team being extremely considerate to how Cystic Fibrosis is dealt with on a daily basis. The was plenty of accurate use of nebulisers, a varied selection of intravenous lines and a wide use of sputum pots. Sprouse and Richardson displayed Cystic Fibrosis well, a testament to their capabilities as actors, with realistic inducement to phlegm seen many times over the course of the film. The way the characters also took the rules into consideration, even when breaking them to various degrees, gave the film a sense of realism that isn’t present in many films that focus on genetic or hereditary conditions or illnesses.

As the relationship between Will and Stella developed, we see responsibility begin to be taken and faults be admitted. Will, when Stella ignores him due to his own mistakes, continues to do his treatments because it will continue to keep her happy, even though he never even considered doing his treatments earlier in the film. Stella admits that she was insensitive following an argument with Poe and, though we can’t be completely sure, it is possible that she often finds admitting to being wrong difficult. Both patients become much more content in their lives and they find a comfort in one another that they didn’t have before. Even though they understand the risks of their relationship. They are willing to take that one step closer to each other for their own happiness.

When tragedy strikes the hospital ward their staying in, Stella is hit deeply by it. She decided to really take her life into her own hands, and takes Will with her. Though they enjoy their act of rebellion, it also comes with risks. Those risks come into play and the situation becomes closer to life or death than they expected. The actions Will takes in the moment are possibly the worst he could have made, and he understands that. His decision deeply influences the remainder of the film. After receiving a life-changing surgery, Stella is cut further than her physically scars would ever show. It is highly likely that their final meeting before the end of the film was one of the best things for both of them, but it is impossible to tell if their story could have truly gone on.

With a brilliant cast, a great production team and an incredible Cystic Fibrosis advocate working on the film, it became a masterpiece in my eyes. Full of emotional moments for those that feel strongly for such a condition, and romantic situations that would appeal to any fan of romance, Five Feet Apart is truly a film that is worth being watched by everyone.