ReviewFive Feet Apart film review: Haley Lu Richardson and Cole Sprouse in tear-jerking teen romance
- This against-the-odds love story between two teenagers born with cystic fibrosis turns out to be a touching and dignified romantic drama
- It also details the daily drudgery endured by those with CF, while not being mawkish
3/5 stars
On the surface, Five Feet Apart has all the hallmarks of a saccharine experience. A romance between two teens born with cystic fibrosis (CF), it’s designed to pluck the heartstrings and swell those tear ducts.
And it does, quite expertly, in the hands of director Justin Baldoni. The conceit here is that those with CF are meant to keep six feet apart from others with the disease for fear of passing on life-threatening bacteria. That means no touching and certainly no kissing – quite the barrier in a love story.
Scripted by Mikki Daughtry and Tobias Iaconis, the plot follows Stella (Haley Lu Richardson), a model patient who takes her meds on time, exercises and somehow remains happy – frequently posting upbeat videos on YouTube – even when she is confined to a hospital. While there for her latest “tune up”, she meets fellow CF sufferer, Will (Riverdale’s swoony hunk Cole Sprouse).
A cynical 17-year-old, Will refuses to comply with the complex regimen intended to keep him alive. Perturbed, Stella convinces him to take his pills, if only for her sake (he is obsessive-compulsive too, and his behaviour is messing with her head). He agrees, as long as she concedes to allowing him to sketch her.