Five Feet Apart was a film I watched because I remembered someone once mentioning it was a good film, and it had Cole Sprouce in it (I was in my Riverdale phase... it didn't last too long).
I actually found this book in my brother's room, and stole it because I've wanted to read it since I watched the film, but didn't want to buy yet another book that would sit on my shelf for ages before I finally read it. Unfortunately, after two days of me having it, he asked for it back, so I had to hurry up and read it before he broke into my house and stole it back.
The Movie
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?
There are few movies that I watch, and then subsequently force my whole family to watch. This was one of those. Stella and Will have CF, and are both in the hospital for different treatments. But while Stella is organised, and sticks to a strict regimen with regards to meds and looking after her body, Will has practically given up. He is simply waiting for his 18th birthday, when he will finally have control of his own life, and can walk away from all the hospitals and live the rest of his life seeing the world, and doing what he wants to do. But when he meets Stella, she forces him to start looking after himself, and it seems he has finally found something to stay alive for.
This is a heart wrenching film to watch. A love story, but the protagonists can't get within 6 feet of each other, lest one passes on germs that could kill the other. And yet, they find ways to spend time together, growing closer, while staying far apart.
I don't know how many times I've watched this film to date, but I know I've enjoyed it every single time (even though I'm now very definitely out of my Riverdale phase, and Cole Sprouce is not quite so exciting).
The Book
Can you love someone you can never touch?
Stella Grant likes to be in control - even though her totally out of control lungs have sent her in and out of the hospital most of her life. At this point, what Stella needs to control most is keeping herself away from anyone or anything that might pass along an infection and jeopardize the possibility of a lung transplant. Six feet apart. No exceptions.
The only thing Will Newman wants to be in control of is getting out of this hospital. He couldn’t care less about his treatments, or a fancy new clinical drug trial. Soon, he’ll turn eighteen and then he’ll be able to unplug all these machines and actually go see the world, not just its hospitals.
Will’s exactly what Stella needs to stay away from. If he so much as breathes on Stella she could lose her spot on the transplant list. Either one of them could die. The only way to stay alive is to stay apart. But suddenly six feet doesn’t feel like safety. It feels like punishment.
What if they could steal back just a little bit of the space their broken lungs have stolen from them? Would five feet apart really be so dangerous if it stops their hearts from breaking too?
As I mentioned, I stole this book from my brother, and when he started asking for it back, I knew I had a limited time in which to read it before I lost my chance and the book was removed from my person. Reading this book quickly was no problem. Once I started reading, I couldn't stop. I read the whole thing in two days, and I did read some of it while at work because I didn't want to put it down.
I loved seeing both Stella's and Will's point of view as the story progressed. Every chapter switches perspective, so you know what they're both thinking, and watch as they both fall in love, and struggle with the distance. They are so close, and yet their disease keeps them painfully far apart from each other.
Comparison
Honestly, it is quite hard to compare this movie and book. I don't think I have come across a movie that is so similar to the book. If I didn't know that the book came first, I might've said that the book came after the movie, it was so alike. It is almost astounding how similar they are, especially considering how information, scenes, and sometimes entire characters are cut while making the movie, and the dialogue is generally heavily edited.
The book had decidedly more information about CF, as it is told by the people living with it, rather than in the film, where you are just watching the characters. Stella, in particular, describes the ins and outs of it, what it is, how she struggles with it, and what the dangers are. In addition, Will's B Cepacia diagnosis is explored in depth more in the book than in the film – the disease means he is no longer a candidate for a lung transplant, and should he pass it on to Stella, she would also be taken off the list. But other than some more explanation about Stella and Will's physical, and mental, struggles, the book is not that much different from the film.
The actors have done a fabulous job at portraying Stella and Will. Stella's almost obsessive need to do everything right, and as safely as possible, comes across as clearly as Will's nonchalance, even though his general lack of care about his treatments acts as a mask to hide the range of emotions he feels about his CF, and his dwindling life expectancy.
If you have enjoyed this book, but have been afraid to watch the film in case it doesn't live up to your expectations, I say just watch it. It is incredibly similar to the book – I would struggle to find a scene that greatly differs between the two.
And done!
I did try to get my brother to participate in this post, as he was the one whose book I had stolen, and I know he likes both the book and the film, but he was too busy napping to write a short piece to help me out. Typical teenager.
Anyway, that's all for now...
Bye!
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