Fantastic movie featuring outstanding young performers who showcased their talents in this drama, which was based on a genuine tragedy that ended tragically. Haley Lu Richardson, a remarkable talent in a sea of well-intentioned adequacy, portrays Stella, a bright, wryly optimistic high school student who has lived with cystic fibrosis since childhood. She has just arrived at the hospital for yet another prolonged stay when we meet her, and she doesn't waste any time getting her room perfectly decorated, her medications neatly arranged in color-coded rows, and her daily to-do lists made together. While awaiting a lung transplant, she is creating apps from her bed and broadcasting her therapy sessions live, She has transformed her area of the hospital into a sort of second home, keeping up a conversation with her submissive gay best friend Poe (Moises Arias), a fellow long-term patient, and maternal head nurse Barb (Kimberly Hebert Gregory). However, a new child has entered the ward this time: The ultra-disciplined Stella becomes agitated when Will (Cole Sprouse), a sardonic, vaguely rebellious, and smolderingly gorgeous man, shows up for an experimental clinical trial and treats himself carelessly. Naturally, the movie sets them up for success almost right away, and they end up warming to one another through a rushed, on-again, off-again courtship, making trade-offs, FaceTiming long into the night, and eventually running into roadblocks when they come into contact with one another's traumas and secrets.

But the real threat to their romance is far more serious than the usual rom-com problems: "CFers," as the characters call themselves, are always reminded to follow the "six-foot rule," which calls for keeping a safe distance from other individuals who have the disease in order to prevent cross-infection. This is especially concerning in the case of Will, who has the harmful bacteria B. cepacia infection, which greatly raises Stella's risk should she approach him too closely. Not only is the very real fear of their early death haunting their growing romance, but they are unable to even hold hands, much less share a kiss. There isn't a happy ending at all, so you have to watch it and draw your own conclusions. Don't tell you how it ends. The silent parts when you had to figure things out for yourself were incredibly fun, and I like the writers' and filmmakers' faith in the audience to keep the film from becoming overly didactic. In addition to the excellent casting that made each actor's performance stand out in its own unique way, I thought it was crucial for a film like this that there were relatively few people in major roles because it allowed us to truly get to know these people and their stories. All in all, it was a stunningly filmed film and a really eye-opening experience. I sincerely hope that this film receives the praise it merits.