Two teenagers who are both suffering from cystic fibrosis meet and fall in love while in hospital, but due to the conditions of their disease it means they must avoid physical contact and need to stay five feet apart from one another.
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Stella and Will meet when they are both spending an extended time in hospital, suffering with Cystic Fibrosis. From the start we can easily guess that they are going to fall in love. The way in which it is done in the film is actually really nice. Considering they will never actually be able to have safe physical contact with each other.
Stella has a YouTube stream which documents not only her illness but her inner thoughts as well. Surviving in hospital she gets fantastic care and support from Barb who she has known since she was a young child. Along with fellow CF sufferer Po who have been friends for many years. I felt as though Barb was a great character and managed to show just how attached nurses can really become to patients. The only thing was though she seemed to be more bothered about Stella than her actual parents? They were not really seen within the story very often which I felt was a little strange really.
It was obvious what was going to happen when Will arrives and he seems to be rebelling against any of the treatment they are trying to provide him with. It pretty much looks like has given up any hope. When Stella comes into his life and orders him to have his medication and treatments sorted she helps with it all. This allows the pair to grow closer.
The film captures so many nice and lovely moments between the characters and that is something that gives it a little bit of an edge. While the illness is different, we have had similar stories within films over the years. This sends out some good and interesting messages. That doesn't mean it is an easy watch though as it is anything but as the reality of a life threatening illness is always hanging around, I can only imagine that this is a tiny part of how people who have this feel in everyday life.
It was also making me wonder how extreme these cases are and the different levels for cystic fibrosis. This was something I had only heard of for the first time around eight years ago now, and it really is a very tough thing for young people to have to live with and attempt a constant normal life.
Overall, I felt as though this film had plenty about it and the performances were nice enough for it to be heartwarming and heartbreaking all at once. I must admit that I recognised Moises Arias and thought oh it must have been something recent, no I recognise him from Hannah Montana! Cole Sprouse has come along way from being Ben in Friends! I don't think I have really seen Haley Lu Richardson in anything and she led the film in a good manner.
