Quartile rating: 7.5/10 · 1 rating
Seventeen-year-old Stella spends most of her time in the hospital as a cystic fibrosis patient. Her life is full of routines, boundaries and self-control — all of which get put to the test when she meets Will, an impossibly charming teen who has the same illness. 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.
Five Feet Apart is a competent but formulaic teen romance that leans heavily on the 'star-crossed lovers with illness' framework established by The Fault in Our Stars. The plot is predictable and emotionally manipulative rather than genuinely surprising, hitting well-worn beats of forbidden attraction and tragic consequence. The acting from Haley Lu Richardson and Cole Sprouse is the film's strongest asset — Richardson in particular brings authentic emotional depth to Stella. Cinematography is serviceable and occasionally pretty but unremarkable. Novelty is low: the cystic fibrosis angle provides some specificity, but the overall conception feels derivative of the sick-teen-romance subgenre. The ending is emotionally effective if not especially earned, providing adequate closure without overstaying its welcome.