For most teenagers, the world is full of options and free from having to make choices that carry any real consequences, for Will (Cole Sprouse) and Stella (Haley Lu Richardson) this is absolutely not the case. They both suffer from Cystic fibrosis and are confined to 24 hour care in a paediatric hospital surrounded by medical equipment and rules. Rules that if disobeyed, carry fatal consequences.
Their lives revolve around schedules and treatment but within those strict confinements they are still teenagers. They push the limits and still believe in love (or at least the teen version of it). Will and Stella are drawn to each other, he is the resident bad boy with a disregard for protocol and she is the OCD teen that must have everything perfectly organised.
Of course they fall for each other and run headlong into the myriad of rules and restrictions, the biggest of which is the fact they cannot touch each other or even come within five feet of each other for fear of passing contagions. As their relationship builds so does the frustration of their circumstance.
The film takes liberties with the real medical restrictions of the disorder and reduces the complexity to simple terms in pursuit of a youthful storyline. In this way the movies takes aim at a younger audience. For the tweens in the family this approach will be on target for those on the outside, age wise, it will be less compelling.
Rob Hudson
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