Five Feet Apart – Film Review

I am back once again with another film review. If you didn’t know I have recently been watching a YA film adaptation every month and then reviewing it. This month I watched Five Feet Apart! This is the film adaptation of the novel of the same name by Rachael Lippencott. It was only recently that I read the book so it was very easy to compare it to the film whilst I was watching. Here is my review!

Seventeen-year-old Stella spends most of her time inside the hospital thanks to her cystic fibrosis. Her life is packed full of routines, boundaries and self-control. All of these things are put to the test when Will, a teen also suffering from cystic fibrosis arrives in the hospital. Restrictions dictate that they must always maintain a safe distance between them. But as their connection intensifies, so does the temptation to throw the rules out of the window.

So, when I read the book way back in June I gave it 4 stars. I didn’t enjoy the film as much as I am only giving it 3 stars. I didn’t enjoy the film anywhere near as much as I enjoyed the book. This is quite a shock to me as this story was originally written as a screenplay and then adapted into a novel. So, I believed I would enjoy the film even more than the book. Sadly that isn’t true.

That doesn’t mean I didn’t enjoy this film though. It was a lovely film to spend 2 hours watching. It made me laugh and at points I was extremely close to tears. They stayed so close to the book in the film adaptation and that is something I thoroughly enjoyed.

I was a big fan of the cast of this film. Cole Sprouse has been an actor I have been a fan of ever since his Disney channel days, so seeing him in a film was lovely and he plays the character of Will excellently. Haley Lu Richardson who played Stella is an actress I really hope to see more of in the future. I thoroughly enjoyed how she played Stella and I feel like she portrayed her excellently how I imaged Stella when I was reading the book.

My only issues with this film are the risks that Stella and Will put on each others lives just to be that one foot closer. I understand their need for interaction and to be closer but this is all at a risk to their lives and I just couldn’t get my head around them letting this happen. Also, the storyline felt extremely similar to that of The Fault in Our Stars. I know this wasn’t intentional but it was always at the back of my mind whilst watching the film.

Overall, although I didn’t give this film 5 stars that doesn’t mean I didn’t enjoy it. It isn’t a film I am likely to watch again but I don’t regret the 2 hours I spent watching it and relaxing. If you are looking for a film to make you cry and also laugh then, Five Feet Apart is for you!