Stella Grant (Haley Lu Richardson) is every bit a seventeen-year-old… she’s attached to her laptop and loves her best friends. But unlike most teenagers, she spends much of her time living in a hospital as a cystic fibrosis patient. Her life is full of routines, boundaries and self-control – all of which is put to the test when she meets an impossibly charming fellow patient named Will Newman (Cole Sprouse).
There’s an instant flirtation, though restrictions dictate that they must maintain a safe distance between them. As their connection intensifies, so does the temptation to throw the rules out the window and embrace that attraction. Further complicating matters is Will’s potentially dangerous rebellion against his ongoing medical treatment. Stella gradually inspires Will to live life to the fullest, but can she ultimately save the person she loves when even a single touch is off limits?
The number of times this trailer made people teary-eyed can be said to be in the high digits. With the promise of star-crossed love and the demise of a life too young, who can say they weren’t prepared to see this movie?
CF. Stands for Cystic Fibrosis, a medical condition that limits a person’s ability to breath and causes infections in the lungs. Learned something new. Anyone else? Good. Then, Justin Baldoni achieved his goal.
Stella’s OCD, excessive organization skills and neurotic behavior toward her health, seems to be just another Hollywood ploy. A character trait to highlight the romanticized differences between the two CF patients. However, her personality is actually justified by a scene that reveals more of Stella’s past, in particular regarding her family. A conversation in the meditation room pushes the development of her relationship with Will, without sacrificing its integrity with exaggerated flashbacks or cut-scenes outside the present story, and explains Stella’s desperate need to survive not only for her sake, but for all those involved. Who would agree?
Overall: Two Thumbs Up
From Pen To Screen 