John Baldoni explores the complicated relationship of two teenagers in his 2019 film, “Five Feet Apart”. This story fills audiences with heartbreak, hope, and perspective. Be warned, there are spoilers ahead!

The plot opens with the protagonist, Stella, played by Haley Lu Richardson. She spends her days in an intensive care unit at a local hospital, plagued by cystic fibrosis. Cystic fibrosis is a genetic disease that attacks the respiratory system as well as the pancreas, causing harmful mucus to build in the lungs. This mucus blocks the passageways of many organs, causing respiratory issues and organ failure.

Stella is a vibrant, positive individual who keeps the world updated through her YouTube channel. On her channel, she posts updates about her disease and the treatments that she is undergoing. Stella is heavily motivated by routine, never missing her daily treatments. This sense of routine keeps Stella sane in the midst of her disease, providing her with a sense of control in a situation that she is ultimately very unsure about. She is also captivated by the idea of new life, finding comfort in gazing into the neonatal unit with her nurse, Barb.

While hanging out with her best friend, Poe, Stella sees a brooding, dark young patient enter the hospital, who is later introduced to be Will, who suffers from B-cepacia. Will holds a perspective that directly contradicts Stella’s, refusing to complete his regimen as he feels that he has no direction in his life. He believes that there is nothing he can do to combat his disease, so he feels no urgency to try to slow the spread of his infection to the rest of his body.

This irks Stella, and she urges Will to complete his regimen, coding an app that allows him to stay on track with her as she sticks to her daily routine. Will finally obliges, slowly falling for Stella in the process.

Stella begins to reciprocate Will’s feelings for her, but the two teens must stay physically apart from each other. B-cepacia attacks the bodies of individuals who suffer from cystic fibrosis, so the pair must stay at least six feet apart from one another. One day, Stella decides that she will take one foot back from cystic fibrosis, lessening the distance between the pair to a staggering five feet. The couple falls deeper and deeper in love as the days pass, and it begins harder for them to stay apart from one another, but Stella is motivated to stay safe for the sake of her family.

At this point in the movie, it is revealed that Stella’s sister passed away in an accident at a young age. Stella then begins to see her parents’ marriage crumble, and she makes a silent vow to herself to stay healthy and alive in an effort to save her parents’ marriage. While this is an idealistic task, the only way that Stella feels she has control in the situation is by staying healthy for her parents.

One day, nurse Barb sees Will leaving his room (presumably to go see Stella) and she offers him a cautionary tale of two patients she had lost in a romance similar to his. She tells him to stay away from Stella, and he obliges for a bit, but the two do not stay apart for long. Stella sets up a secret birthday gathering for Will, preparing a feast for him and the rest of the patients to share. Nurse Barb eventually catches them, warning them all to return back to their rooms, and Poe is seen thanking Stella for including him in Will’s birthday celebration.

The next day, tragedy strikes. Poe is found unconscious in his room, and despite the best efforts of the hospital’s staff, Poe dies, leaving his best friend, Stella, behind.

This causes Stella to have a breakdown. She throws her medication on the floor of her room, grief-stricken and sobbing. In this heartbreaking scene, it is clear that Stella doesn’t necessarily feel hopeful about her situation, and the loss of her best friend causes her to lose the sense of control and tranquility she feels in her regimen. Will tries to comfort Stella, but she brushes him off, and he returns to his room, defeated and angry.

Stella and Will eventually decide to go on a nighttime walk to view the city lights, and Stella opens up about her family and her grief over Poe’s untimely passing. While the two play in the snow, Nurse Barb rushes to Stella’s room to alert her that they have found a pair of lungs for her. Seeing that both Stella and Will are missing, Barb is sent into a fit of panic, alerting the pair’s parents.

At the same time, Stella and Will skate on a frozen lake, sharing that they love each other. They nearly kiss, but Will cautions Stella that it is not a good idea given their situation. As they move to leave the lake, Stella falls deep underwater, trapped by the ice. Will drags Stella out of the water, hesitating when he sees she is not breathing. He tentatively begins to give her mouth-to-mouth resuscitation, neglecting the space in between them.

When Stella arrives back at the hospital, she is rushed into surgery, where she begs and pleads not to be given a new set of lungs, solely wanting to stay with Will. Will begs her to undergo surgery, urging her to be strong for herself in spite of his fruitless efforts to heal.

As Will waits for Stella with his mother, he is told that his drug trial is not working. He consoles his mother, asking him to help him in creating one last surprise for Stella. His mother obliges.

Once Stella awakes, Will is seen outside of the window. He presses his hand to the glass, staring lovingly at her. Tears fill the pair’s eyes as they stare at each other one last time, knowing that now they can never truly be together. Stella is handed a wrapped gift with a sketchbook filled with Will’s sketches that he has drawn of her, and she smiles one last time at him as he walks away.

The movie ends with the same narrative that it begins with, but scenes of Will and Stella’s romance fill the screen. In this final scene, Stella urges the audience to cherish every moment they have with their loved ones, stating that “life’s too short to waste a second”.

Clearly, John Baldoni wishes to portray the importance of cherishing quality time spent with loved ones, urging his audience not to take their fond memories with one another for granted.

“Five Feet Apart” is full of warmth, heartbreak, and understanding. It has become a comfort film for many audiences around the world, and it is definitely a must-watch.