Despite the ‘teen’ story line, there are no faults in “The Fault in Our Stars”.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The other night my husband and I found ourselves in an hour long line up to get into a film surrounded by scores and scores of pre-teen and teenage girls. No, it wasn’t “Twilight” or “The Hunger Games”, but it was a film that has just come out adapted from a young adult novel – a trend that is making a LOT of money.

Like both of these film franchises (as well as “Divergent” and many others), the film featured a young female protagonist. Unlike those aforementioned film franchises, this one did not deal with dystopian futures, revolutions or sparkly vampires. Instead, this film (and the novel that sparked it) dealt with the topic of cancer in a way that was both new and as timeless as it gets.

Let me say that I enjoyed the film immensely, and for more reasons simply than the fact that it tugs on your heart strings (more like rips them out and stomps on them actually). So few directors and producers it seems know how to properly adapt a novel into a film that it is a breath of fresh air when it does happen.

The plot is very simple. Hazel Grace Lancaster is your typical teenage girl, except for one thing – she has terminal cancer. The cancer takes the form of various tumours in her body and she carries an oxygen tank around with her to help her breath as he lungs are frequently filling up with fluid.

The fact that she is dying is apparent right from the start. Although the doctors have found a drug to help keep the fluid in her lungs at bay for a while, there is no doubt within the narrative that the cancer will eventually claim her and cut her life very short.

The characters in the film (including Hazel herself) are all operating under the umbrella of this impending future (or lack thereof), so it is no surprise that she appears depressed at the start of the film. Against her wishes, she is forced to attend a support group in the basement of a church in which she meets a boy her age named Augustus Waters.

He too was a “cancer kid” but has been cancer free after having his leg removed 14 months previous to the narrative. He immediately becomes interested in Hazel, and although she is extremely flattered (and clearly interested back) her hesitancy is tied to the fact that she knows she is dying, and will only end up hurting those around her when she goes.

Obviously being a teen film, the two of them fall in love despite those odds. And obviously being a film about cancer, the plot revolves around death. The twist comes with it being Augustus who succumbs to his illness leaving Hazel behind to cope with the loss of her first real love.

The narrative is one that isn’t new, however it does manage to touch on some issues about illness and death that don’t always get a lot of visibility in film or in print. This review is going to be an overwhelmingly positive one, as I fully believe it was a nearly perfect film adaptation to a popular novel. Here are the reasons:

The Good:

1. Shailene Woodley: Like Jennifer Lawrence this girl has TALENT. She may have got her start on one of the worst television shows on the planet, but she has since managed to prove herself in roles that have allowed her to demonstrate the full range of her ability. I don’t even like comparing her to Lawrence as the two are very different, however the successes of their two teen franchises ultimately invites those comparisons. She manages to give Hazel Grace Lancaster a maturity and gravitas that does not let us forget throughout the film that she is dying, while still maintaining the voice of a teenage girl experiencing her first love. Her performance in the film is extremely nuanced, as she is able to portray through thought, feeling and expression her fears and doubts about what will happen to those she loves around her when she dies. She does this with sensitivity and humour which avoids getting too schmaltzy, even when the plot might go that way.
2. The sub plot concerning “An Imperial Affliction”: In the novel (and film), Hazel’s character starts out depressed and unable to bring herself to participate in the world. The only thing she does take comfort in, is a novel called “An Imperial Affliction” which is narrated by a girl her age who is also dying of cancer. It might seem obvious that this novel would appeal to someone with the disease, but Hazel is quick to point out that the book she loves is not a ‘typical cancer book’. We soon learn that what she means by that is that it doesn’t talk down to the reader about the illness, nor does it offer up a happily ever after ending. It simply ends abruptly (presumably when the narrator herself dies). It might be odd to imagine how a young girl dying of cancer might take comfort in such a story, but this helps us to understand who Hazel is as a person. It gives us insight into how she deals with the reality of her illness –and that is by not shying away from it. She takes comfort in the way “Anna” the character faces up to her illness, and learns to live with that kind of honesty – even when the others around her cannot. It also shows us that the thing Hazel truly fears is not dying, but rather what will happen to those she leaves behind. When Hazel finished the novel, she confesses in the film that she wrote to the author of the novel (a character by the name of Peter Van Houten) numerous times trying to find out what happened to the rest of the characters (Anna’s loved ones) that are left behind after her death. Although Van Houten never responds (until Gus manages to get in touch – more on that later), it is Hazel’s need for closure that helps us really understand her. It is this sub plot that really adds depth into what might otherwise be a pretty clichéd story. When Gus eventually does get in touch with Van Houten and they travel to Amsterdam to meet him, Hazel is excited to finally get the answers she has craved. It is clear she feels that these answers will help her to reconcile her own feelings about leaving behind those she loves, but unfortunately (as with the novel and life itself) those answers and that closure never come. Instead, Van Houten turns out to be a miserable angry alcoholic man who verbally attacks the children when they press him to find out what happened. We later find out it is because his own daughter died of cancer. It is Hazel’s response to this (and Woodley’s performance) that really brings out the ugly truth of cancer. People die and those they leave behind are sometimes emotionally destroyed by it and sometimes not. Van Houten is the thing that Hazel most fears – the person she is afraid her parents will become in the wake of her death. He is the reason she is reluctant to let Gus in in the first place (well not him specifically but the fear of what he represents). It’s brilliantly done because in the end when Van Houten attempts to make amends for his actions, Hazel rejects him, realizing she will never have the answers or the assurance she needs. It’s a beautiful part of the story and one that is adapted brilliantly by the director.
3. Isaac’s eulogy: I know that Hazel’s eulogy for Gus is supposed to pack the most emotional punch – and don’t get me wrong, it should come with a tissue warning, but it is Issac’s (Gus’ friend who loses his eyes to cancer) speech that is truly touching. It could be because of the circumstances of it. Maybe it’s the performance from Nat Wolff, or the fact that his character has already been through so much, but this particular moment in the film was one I found truly genuine, touching and thoroughly heartbreaking
4. The actual adaptation of it: Most films that are adapted from novels suffer in the process. A novel is a very different medium from a film, and many times you get film crews or writers that can’t properly translate that written story into a visual story. The Harry Potter films are an excellent example of that with some films being done very well, and others leaving out crucial plot and character development for the sake of “action” or special effects. This film however managed to maintain the pace as well as to keep the needed character development and plot development that allows us to get to know these characters and fall in love with them. Are there things left out? Yes, absolutely. But the film is so deftly interwoven, that you truly don’t notice what isn’t there until you actually have to give some thought to it which is the mark of an excellent adaptation.
5. The scene where Hazel climbs the stairs in the Anne Frank house. Simply brilliant. Again Woodley demonstrates her talent here. We can see Hazel experiencing a myriad of emotions. This is right after they discover how horrible a person Van Houten truly is and although it isn’t explicitly stated, it is obvious that Hazel desires to see the Anne Frank house because she relates to her tragedy. Her determination to surmount that barrier in spite of her illness is a direct reaction to the helplessness she feels at the hands of Van Houten. It is wonderfully done here – understated yet very clear.

The Bad:

1. Pretty much nothing, but if I had to point out one scene I would have liked to see, it would be the scene in which Hazel is approached by a young child who inquires about the oxygen tank and the plastic bits in her nose that help her breathe. It is a beautiful moment that really highlights what Hazel has to deal with on a daily basis. She is polite to the child – even taking the time to explain her illness, but it very much showcases how divorced she is from the normal teenage experience. I know this was shown in deleted scene format during the Thursday pre-screening, but I would have liked to see it added. 

Overall it was a beautiful film and the fan experience within the theatre was also quite unique. It is films like this that truly show that women are indeed an audience that is worthy of making films for, and I hope to see more of them.