Five Feet Apart 2019

     This film is based on a book by the same title written by Rachael Lippncott and published November 20, 2018.  Stella is seventeen years and she spends most of her time in the hospital.  She has cystic fibrosis and her life is full of routines, boundaries and self-control.  Stella needs to be six feet apart from another person to reduce the risk of cross-infection.  She could also contract bacterial infections from other cystic fibrosis patents.  This situation can be dangerous and even life threatening.  She meets another CF patient, Will Newman and also Poe.  Will is at the hospital and he also has cystic fibrosis but he is on a medical trial.  It is hoped that the trial will get rid of the bacterial infection (B.cepacia) he has in his lungs.  Stella and Will begin to fall in love.  Stella gets the news that lungs have become available for her transplant. 

     This is tough film because both Stella and Will are friends with Poe and he also has cystic fibrosis.  He is found unresponsive in his room and he can’t be revived.  Stella feels terrible that she was never able to hug Poe.  The Cystic Fibrous Foundation is worried about the use of five feet in the title instead of the recommended six feet rule?  Infection control is a serious issue and not a topic that allows any room for creative license?  3 ½* (I liked this movie)  

   

116 min, Drama directed by Justin Baldoni with Haley Lu Richardson, Cole Sprouse, Moises Arias, Kimberly Hebert Gregory, Parminder Nagra, Claire Forlani, Emily Baldoni, Gary Weeks, Cynthia Evans, Brett Austin Johnson, Ariana Guerra, Sophia Bernard, Evangeline Hill Ivy Dubreuil, Kristopher Perez.

Note:  Imdb 7.2 out of 10, Roger Ebert 2 ½* Nell Minow, Rotten Tomatoes 55* critic 79% audience, Commono Sense Media Sandie Angulo Chen age 13+ 3* out of 5*, 3* positive messages, 4* role models, 2* violence, 2* sex, 3* language, 1* consumerism, The Guardian 2* out of 5* Mike Mcahill, Indiewire.com 3* out of 5* David Ehrlich, Metacritic 53 out of 100 with 27 critics (11 positive, 14 mixed, 2 negative, 7.6 out of 10 with 67 user scores, Amazon 4.6* out of 5* with 502 reviews, Amazon gives the book 4.7* out of 5* with 188 reviews.

Special Note:  A real life couple, Dalton and Katie Prager, inspired this film.  They both suffered from cystic fibrosis.  Director Justin Baldoni first became involved with cystic fibrosis when he directed the documentary My Last Days.  He met Claire Wineland through YouTube and he hired her as a consultant for this film.  The six foot rule is a guideline from the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation which states that patients should be kept at lease six feet apart from each other to lower the risk of cross-infection.