Five Feet Apart

I feel compelled to write this review for all of those guys who get dragged along to see some cheezy romance flick by the wife or girlfriend and can barely make it through without trying to duck into the adjacent theater for something action oriented.

That's how I ended up watching this, but honest-to-God . . . I have to give credit where credit is due. I'm usually so cynical about movies that seem so clearly intent on going straight for the heartstrings and forcing every girl in the audience to go for the emergency kleenex stash in the purse. I hate that feeling of being manipulated. "Five Feet Apart" actually works very well on all of the important levels. Cystic fibrosis is not a common disease, and I certainly wasn't familiar with it. But the script and the actors handle the condition with surprising sensitivity. Rather than making it the focus of an emotional trainwreck, no one seems to be working overtime to make you feel sorry for them. Rather, we get to see what seems to be a surprisingly appealing group of teenagers who've accepted the condition in various ways long before the opening scenes of the movie, and they are going to move forward with life without asking for our sympathy.

There is a serious level of chemistry between Haley Lu Richardson and Cole Sprouse that has to be one of the most believable pairings I recall in this genre. The growing sparks between them effectively places this truly debilitating genetic condition in just the right context. They don't want your sympathy--they just want a slim chance at happiness. Yes, the teenage girls in the audience were crying rivers at the end . . . but for once . . . I could completely understand it.

A wonderfully written story, played by such talented actors. The little details that make it just that little bit more intense. The right expressions that make it just that little bit more touching. The right words that make just that much of a difference. I held my breath through the whole movie, waiting for it to go wrong. I felt so immersed in the characters, and their stories. Their pain, their longing, their restrictions, they hit me right in the heart. And if that isn't a sign of a good, emotional movie, I don't know what is.

I loved this movie. The story is very beautiful. It gives you hope of life and takes it from you. the Romance in this film is beautiful. My eyes did not bleed because of a film a while ago

Not necessarily from the movie. There was a girl with Cystic Fibrosis in the crowd that completely lost it. The story hit way too home for her. Considering that I dont see how I couldn't give this a rave review.

I'm a 35 year old with CF. I was excited about this movie because any representation is potentially great. But I've seen other CF movies, seen it on TV, and it's usually terribly done. Incorrect nonsense, people are on o2 but climbing hills like it's no big deal, the severity isn't properly shown, etc.

This movie manages to mostly stay away from that. Is it 100% accurate? Of course not. It's still a Hollywood film. It's not a documentary. That being said, this does a better job than any other CF fiction I've ever seen. It includes a lot of the real things that CFers deal with: all our therapies, nebs, vesting, the ports, the G tubes, the o2, surgeries, the isolation, the survivor's guilt, and many others.

A lot of people in the CF community have been up in arms about two CFers getting together despite the bacteria concerns. While I understand the hesitation, I personally know four couples where both spouses had/have CF (had because some have died). We need to look at this as a real situation because it is. There's a lot of isolation in CF, and reaching out to the only people on the planet who can truly understand you is only natural. As long as both people are consenting adults, know the risks, and go for it anyway, we need to respect that.

I appreciate that this movie tackles both the reality of CF and the controversial subject of CFers breaking the six foot rule. This is a very real film, and not once did I feel offended or roll my eyes. Not 100% accurate, no, but I feel seen. I feel represented. Absolutely worth seeing, and i look forward to seeing it again.