We meet Hazel, a teenage girl who is diagnosed with depression... On top of cancer. She reads lots and does little else. Her parents convince her to join support groups. She obliges, albeit reluctantly. As though a child on her first day of school, Hazel goes inside (all the while wheeling her oxygen tank) while her mom waits patiently in the car. "Make some friends!" she enthusiastically calls out.
In one meeting in particular, she meets - no, encounters a buy named Gus. He is handsome, outspoken, passionate, and alive. She is curious about him, as he is about her. Within hours they are already on their first date. He asks her her favorite book while insisting upon her to read his favorite: a novelization of his favorite video game. Hers? A grim drama about a girl who dies and leaves many open-ended questions.
They talk, the flirt, all the time Gus choosing to look past her sickness. He himself lost a leg to cancer years ago... What more can be said? They fall in love, they travel to meet her favorite author in Amsterdam, cancer returns, and perhaps there are some tear-jerking moments in the end.
Both Woodley and Ansel Elgort (Gus) are more than capable of their respective roles, and the chemistry is obvious. What is refreshing in a film like this is that we don't always follow the traditional movie cliches. The film deals as much about their relationship as it does with Hazel's parents and their own personal struggles.
It's no wonder it was a widely-praised film with a high level of audience enthusiasm. I found it entertaining and frankly a wonderful film about growing up in ways most teenagers shouldn't have to. Definitely a film worth remembering...
(Awards potential: Best Actress (Woodley))
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