*This review may contain spoilers for “Five Feet Apart.”*
“Five Feet Apart” is a heart-wrenching story of two star-crossed young reckless lovers—where they crave the touch from the one they lov,e but are forced to stay six feet apart at all times.
“Of course, the whole movie is a metaphor and we touch on a lot of different themes in the film,” director Justin Baldoni. “One big theme here is the idea that I believe that we are living in a culture that confuses sex and intimacy and love… I don’t believe that physical touch and love are exclusive. If you ask most people in healthy marriages and relationships intimacy is not just derived from human touch. Emotional intimacy is what keeps people together.”
The film was released March 15 by CBS Films and has earned over $14.2 million in revenue thus far. The film makes viewers treasure the people closest to them.
Featuring two former Disney channel stars, Cole Sprouse (Will) and Moises Arias (Poe), unite in this new film. Along with Haley Lu Richardson (Stella), the three main characters tell the story of teenagers battling cystic fibrosis (CF).
According to Google, cystic fibrosis “is a hereditary disorder affecting the exocrine glands; it causes the production of abnormally thick mucus leading to the blockage of the pancreatic ducts, intestines, and bronchi and often results in a respiratory infection.”
Because both Stella and Will have CF, they are forbidden to touch and must stay at least six feet apart; however, as time goes by they take “one piece back” and make their own rule of five feet.
Richardson’s performance of Stella shows a bubbly, controlling and dying girl that lives to take her medicine, rather than taking her medicine to live. Like many people, she is also consumed by “To Do Lists” rather than living her life.
Will is the edgy, rebellious and sad guy who does not take his treatments and takes his disease as a joke. He believes he’s dying anyways, so he might as well enjoy it while he can.
Baldoni and Sprouse said often times films romanticize diseases and it can be difficult to represent a community with any disease.
“Let’s do this as much justice as possible and bring a ton of awareness to a really underrepresented disease,” Sprouse said in an interview on On Air With Ryan Seacrest.
“Five Feet Apart” teases the audience with tears throughout the film, but afterwards viewers need a good cry.
Similar to “The Fault in Our Stars,” the film covers topics of love, loss, living, dying and care-free living. The acting performances are astonishing and genuine, but the film itself hits on some romantic clichés.
Make sure to catch the movie before it leaves theaters.
