On Nov. 2, 2018, CBS Films, Lionsgate and Wayfarer Entertainment released their first official trailer for Five Feet Apart.
Based on the popular Young-Adult Novel of the same name by Rachael Lippincott with Mikki Daughtry and Tobias Iaconis (Simon and Schuster 2018), Five Feet Apart is a romance about love and human connection.
The novel and the movie follows the lives of teens Stella Grant and Will Newman, two teens living with Cystic Fibrosis (CF). Stella is trying to maintain her spot on the transplant list for a new set of lungs, and Will is taking part in a clinical drug trial. CF is an overwhelming disease which dictates every aspect of these teens’ lives.
According to CF Canada, CF is a genetic disease that: “causes various effects on the body, but mainly affects the digestive system and lungs.” The resultant complications of the disease include diabetes, difficulty digesting fats and proteins; resulting in malnutrition and nutrient deficiency, lung damage and sinus infections.
But love throws a wrench into the rules. The pair go from hospital mates to star-crossed lovers, leaving both Stella and Will to jeopardize their health. The reason? People with CF risk transferring their bacteria to each other. This is known as “cross contamination,” which can lead to intensified illness. The result is that Stella and Will must keep six feet apart. No touching. No exceptions.
Or is there?
Throwing caution into the wind, Stella and Will take a chance by bending the rules — they’ll keep five feet apart instead of six, surely a foot closer wouldn’t make a difference? Together, Stella and Will learn how to be together, while risking it all, for the matter of love.
Starring Cole Sprouse (Riverdale) as Will and Haley Lu Richardson (The Edge of Seventeen) as Stella, fans of John Green’s The Fault in Our Stars will witness similar chemistry.
Fans of Riverdale should note that this is Sprouse’s return to the silver screen in 19 years, last appearing in Dennis Dugan’s comedy Big Daddy (1999), starring Adam Sandler, at the age of seven.
As for the director, Jane the Virgin’s Justin Baldoni, marks his directorial debut in Five Feet Apart. CEO and Co-Founder of Wayfarer Entertainment, Baldoni prides himself of making connections with people from all walks of life and portraying authentic stories about what it means to be human.
Most recently known for his popular TEDTalk, where he redefines the meaning of masculinity and what it means to be “man enough,” it is no surprise Baldoni chose to create a representation of such an emotional story.
Despite the media buzz from fans of the book and actors alike, activists have shared their concern and criticism for the dramatized portrayal of a relationship. Others have taken to Twitter and Instagram, praising the film for providing a media representation of a particular community.
Baldoni and the rest of the production team worked in close contact with the CF community to present as accurate a depiction of what CF looks and sounds like to non-CF people. One individual and charity of particular reference, was Claire Wineland and Claire’s Place Foundation. Wineland, like the character Stella, spent her life educating the public on her life with CF and her candid tongue-in-cheek beliefs regarding death on her own YouTube channel. Wineland was a pivotal advocate in the CF community. She received a lung transplant in late August, tragically passing away a week after her transplant of a massive stroke on Sept. 2, 2018.
In a comment on Haley Lu Richardson’s post on Instagram regarding the film, Wineland’s mother wrote the following: “Claire’s shines through in many of the hospital sets and of course through your style. Even though the movie is not about her or her life, it is so beautiful to see a bit of her on the big screen. Thank you all for raising #cfawareness!!”
Five Feet Apart is set to release in theatres everywhere Mar. 22, 2019.