Movie Review

I was warned before watching this film that I would probably shed a tear or two. But after 126 minutes I managed to hold on strong despite one of the saddest plotlines I have ever seen.

Hazel Grace Lancaster (Shailene Woodley) is a teenager who has survived a rare form of lung cancer but lives life chained to an oxygen tank.

There’s not much else positive in her life until she meets Augustus “Gus” Waters (Ansel Elgort), a fellow cancer survivor, at a peer support group meeting.

Despite him being obviously smitten with her from the very beginning, it takes Hazel most of the film to slowly thaw to him.

The obvious reason for this is her underlying insecurity about her future. She is, as she brutally admits, a “grenade” waiting to explode.

Their relationship isn’t helped when she suffers a major scare and fears the cancer is coming back.

As this love story meanders along, a separate sub-plot emerges about Hazel’s obsession with a book written by a reclusive author, Van Houten, about another girl with cancer.

The reason for her obsession is the book leaves a number of questions unanswered even ending midway through a sentence.

But it is not until Gus becomes interested in the book and the author that they are invited to Amsterdam for a rare meeting with the author.

This encounter with Van Houten (Willem Defoe) is one of the best scenes of the film.

All the best films ever made are not just visual experiences but they are deeply emotional journeys. This movie tugs at the heart-strings in such a clever way which is a credit to the book upon which the film is based.

There are a couple of minor differences between the book and the film but the emotional impact is not lost.

The main characters, played by Woodley and Elgort, are adorable and at the same time tragic figures. They have a tremendous chemistry together and Woodley’s performance – cynical and full of witticism – reminds me of Ellen Page’s Juno.

This is a film that will have some deeper meanings for people from all walks of life in all sorts of situations.

To some this is a film about living with cancer, to others this is a film about love and to me this is a film about the power of friendship in tough times.

This may not be one of the most popular films out at the moment but it is definitely one of the best.