There is a tendency to believe when you are going to see a film about cancer that you will be completely depressed afterwards and will inevitably cry on at least two occasions and although this should be the case, many people often miss that films about cancer, in some ways, can also be a celebration of life. The journey throughout these films can be so touching, families will re-discover their connections, old friends will be re-acquainted, people will live the life they want to live and do things they never thought possible. Cancer is heartbreaking and brutal disease but through these films, we have learned so much about how people deal with this awful illness.
Films like Stepmom, My Sister’s Keeper and My Life Without Me will hit you where it hurts, they will absolutely ruin all your emotions by the time the end credits role but lately we have seen a new approach to this type of film, particularly with 50/50 which dealt with all of the issues surrounding the illness and how somebody would deal with that diagnosis in a much more light-hearted way with the character of Seth Rogen. Like the book it is based on, The Fault in Our Stars uses a much more honest approach to the disease and perhaps not as morbid as you would expect.
The film centres around Hazel Grace, played by Shailene Woodley, a young 17-year-old who has been living with cancer for years. Following a doctor’s diagnosis of depression, Hazel is sent to a support group in order that she may talk out with others how she is feeling about the disease and her life. On one particular day, she runs into Augustus Waters, a young man who has lost his leg to the disease and the pair soon strike up an absolutely charming friendship, mostly over their love of a particular book, An Imperial Affliction, a book about a cancer patient who dies tragically.
As they continue to meet, their friendship grows stronger and Hazel soon finds that she is in love with Gus, despite herself. When the pair take a trip to Amsterdam in order to meet the author of their favourite book, their relationship gets much deeper. However, things don’t go exactly as planned and events occur that will push the pair’s relationship to its breaking point.
Firstly, The Fault in our Stars is far more open and honest about cancer than you could ever imagine. Although Hazel is quite ill, she never really sugar coats anything, there is no self pity here, she merely wants to get on with her life. In fact, on occasion, you would be forgiven for forgetting that she has this terrible disease. Her outlook is optimistic, her discussions with Gus and her family frank; Hazel simply wants her family to face that fact that she may not survive, a fact that she seems to have come to terms with. This is the absolute beauty of Fault in our Stars, there is no over-manipulation of your emotions, it simply tells a story.
The performances are absolutely exceptional. Shailene Woodley is brilliant as Hazel, you entirely believe that she is that character, upbeat at times, unbelievably in love and in some ways, incredibly lonely. She attempts to keep people from her so as to minimize the risk, a moment that is absolutely heartbreaking in the film. Ansel Elgort is so incredibly charming that you entirely buy in to his love for Hazel, it’s very difficult to dislike him. However, the stand out performance is most certainly Laura Dern as Hazel’s mother, a woman who struggles to get on with her life and yet her entire existence revolves around Hazel and her wants and needs.
If there could be one complaint about the film, and believe us there isn’t many, it would be that lovers of the book may find that this is a little pretentious in parts compared to the original story. However, these are fleeting moments and even the dialogue for the most part is lifted word by word from the wonderful book.
Overall, this is a love story, a love story that just happens to involve cancer and we can guarantee you, this is arguably one of the most upsetting films you will see.
