Five Feet Apart (2019)
Movie · 2019 · Romance, Drama · 1h 56m · PG-13 · English
Curator score: 3.3/10 (548K ratings)
Tagline: When life keeps you apart, fight for every inch.
Seventeen-year-old Stella spends most of her time in the hospital as a cystic fibrosis patient. Her life is full of routines, boundaries and self-control — all of which get put to the test when she meets Will, an impossibly charming teen who has the same illness. There's an instant flirtation, though restrictions dictate that they must maintain a safe distance between them. As their connection intensifies, so does the temptation to throw the rules out the window and embrace that attraction.
Ratings:
- Curator score: 3.3/10
- IMDb: 7.2/10
- Letterboxd: 3.35/5
- Rotten Tomatoes: 52%
- Metacritic: 53
- TMDB: 8.2/10
Director: Justin Baldoni
Production: Wayfarer Entertainment, CBS Films
Cast: Haley Lu Richardson, Cole Sprouse, Moisés Arias, Kimberly Hébert Gregory, Parminder Nagra, Claire Forlani, Cynthia Evans, Gary Weeks, Sophia Bernard, Emily Baldoni, Rebecca Chulew, Sue-Lynn Ansari, Ariana Guerra, Cecilia Leal, Trina LaFargue, Brett Austin Johnson, Evangeline Hill, Ivy Dubreuil, Kristopher Perez, Demián Castro
Curator Review
Verdict: A sincere, highly watchable teen romance built around illness, distance, and the ache of wanting what you can’t safely have. It works best as a glossy, emotional crowd-pleaser with strong chemistry and a clear tearjerker agenda, though the melodrama and familiar YA beats may feel manipulative to some viewers.
Best for: viewers who like earnest young-adult romances; tearjerker fans; audiences interested in illness-centered melodrama; fans of hospital-set emotional dramas
Skip if: you want subtle writing and realism over heightened emotion; you’re tired of forbidden-love YA formulas; you dislike sentimental, manipulative romance; you want a medically grounded drama with more nuance
Overview: Five Feet Apart is engineered to make you feel every boundary, every glance, and every almost-touch. The premise is simple and effective: two teens with cystic fibrosis fall in love while being forced to keep literal distance from each other. That setup gives the film a built-in emotional engine, and the movie leans into it with polished visuals, soft-focus longing, and a very deliberate tearjerker rhythm.
Worth noting: What keeps it from becoming disposable is the commitment of the leads and the specificity of the setting. The hospital routines, the fear of infection, and the constant negotiation between desire and survival give the romance a real dramatic hook. At the same time, the script often reaches for big emotional gestures instead of letting moments breathe, so the sentiment can feel overdetermined.
Bottom line: If you’re in the mood for a sincere young-adult weepie, it delivers exactly that. If you need complexity, restraint, or a fresh take on the forbidden-romance formula, it may leave you cold. It’s a polished, emotionally direct movie that knows its audience and aims squarely for the heart.
Top Letterboxd reviews:
- lainey: at least they didn’t make out in the anne frank house
- viola: ...cause they're not gay?
- liv: that awkward moment when your boyfriend breaks up with you in the form of a grand romantic gesture MINUTES after you wake up from a lung transplant and you can’t even respond because you’re still on the ventilator😳
- Matt: The Fault In Our Lungs 💔
- trin: it made me cry fuck you i liked it
Recommended similar titles:
- A Walk to Remember (2002 · Drama, Romance · 1h 42m · PG · Curator 0.1/10 (4.3K ratings) · Where to watch: Amazon Prime Video, Amazon Prime Video with Ads)
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- The Fault in Our Stars (2014 · Romance, Drama · 2h 6m · PG-13 · Curator 3.5/10 (1.1M ratings) · Where to watch: Netflix, Disney Plus, Netflix Standard with Ads)
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Topics: romantic drama, teen romance, tearjerker, hospital setting, cystic fibrosis, YA melodrama, forbidden love, emotional, coming-of-age, 2010s
https://watchlist.tannermartz.com/apple/movie/five-feet-apart/527641
Five Feet Apart (2019)
Movie · 2019 · Romance, Drama · 1h 56m · PG-13 · English
Curator score: 3.3/10 (548K ratings)
When life keeps you apart, fight for every inch.
Overview Seventeen-year-old Stella spends most of her time in the hospital as a cystic fibrosis patient. Her life is full of routines, boundaries and self-control — all of which get put to the test when she meets Will, an impossibly charming teen who has the same illness. There's an instant flirtation, though restrictions dictate that they must maintain a safe distance between them. As their connection intensifies, so does the temptation to throw the rules out the window and embrace that attraction.
Ratings
Curator score: 3.3/10
IMDb: 7.2/10
Letterboxd: 3.35/5
Rotten Tomatoes: 52%
Metacritic: 53
TMDB: 8.2/10
Production Wayfarer Entertainment, CBS Films
Cast Haley Lu Richardson, Cole Sprouse, Moisés Arias, Kimberly Hébert Gregory, Parminder Nagra, Claire Forlani, Cynthia Evans, Gary Weeks, Sophia Bernard, Emily Baldoni, Rebecca Chulew, Sue-Lynn Ansari, Ariana Guerra, Cecilia Leal, Trina LaFargue, Brett Austin Johnson, Evangeline Hill, Ivy Dubreuil, Kristopher Perez, Demián Castro
Curator Review
Verdict
A sincere, highly watchable teen romance built around illness, distance, and the ache of wanting what you can’t safely have. It works best as a glossy, emotional crowd-pleaser with strong chemistry and a clear tearjerker agenda, though the melodrama and familiar YA beats may feel manipulative to some viewers.
Best for
viewers who like earnest young-adult romances
tearjerker fans
audiences interested in illness-centered melodrama
fans of hospital-set emotional dramas
Skip if
you want subtle writing and realism over heightened emotion
you’re tired of forbidden-love YA formulas
you dislike sentimental, manipulative romance
you want a medically grounded drama with more nuance
Overview
Five Feet Apart is engineered to make you feel every boundary, every glance, and every almost-touch. The premise is simple and effective: two teens with cystic fibrosis fall in love while being forced to keep literal distance from each other. That setup gives the film a built-in emotional engine, and the movie leans into it with polished visuals, soft-focus longing, and a very deliberate tearjerker rhythm.
Worth noting
What keeps it from becoming disposable is the commitment of the leads and the specificity of the setting. The hospital routines, the fear of infection, and the constant negotiation between desire and survival give the romance a real dramatic hook. At the same time, the script often reaches for big emotional gestures instead of letting moments breathe, so the sentiment can feel overdetermined.
Bottom line
If you’re in the mood for a sincere young-adult weepie, it delivers exactly that. If you need complexity, restraint, or a fresh take on the forbidden-romance formula, it may leave you cold. It’s a polished, emotionally direct movie that knows its audience and aims squarely for the heart.
Top Letterboxd reviews
lainey (2.5★) · 4757 likes
at least they didn’t make out in the anne frank house
viola · 4531 likes
...cause they're not gay?
liv (2.5★) · 2425 likes
that awkward moment when your boyfriend breaks up with you in the form of a grand romantic gesture MINUTES after you wake up from a lung transplant and you can’t even respond because you’re still on the ventilator😳
Matt (4★) · 1908 likes
The Fault In Our Lungs 💔
trin (3★) · 1618 likes
it made me cry fuck you i liked it
Recommended similar titles
2002 · Drama, Romance · 1h 42m · PG · Curator 0.1/10 (4.3K ratings) · Where to watch: Amazon Prime Video, Amazon Prime Video with Ads
A classic earnest teen romance with illness, faith, and emotional catharsis at its center.
2014 · Romance, Drama · 2h 6m · PG-13 · Curator 3.5/10 (1.1M ratings) · Where to watch: Netflix, Disney Plus, Netflix Standard with Ads
Shares the same young-love-meets-mortality appeal and a similarly tearful, fan-favorite tone.
2016 · Drama, Romance · 1h 50m · PG-13 · Curator 3.8/10 (1.5M ratings)
Another glossy romance built around disability, care, and the emotional limits of love.
2012 · Drama · 1h 43m · PG-13 · Curator 7.9/10 (3.4M ratings) · Where to watch: AMC+, Philo
Offers sensitive coming-of-age emotion, adolescent longing, and a healing-centered perspective.
2018 · Comedy, Drama, Romance · 1h 50m · PG-13 · Curator 4.1/10 (678.8K ratings) · Where to watch: Max
A heartfelt YA romance with warmth, vulnerability, and a strong emotional payoff.
2014 · Drama, Romance · 2h 3m · PG-13 · Curator 5.8/10 (1.2M ratings) · Where to watch: Netflix, Netflix Standard with Ads
For the illness-and-love angle, with a more adult, biographical approach to devotion and decline.
2011 · Drama, Romance · 1h 47m · PG-13 · Curator 3.8/10 (588.2K ratings)
A romantic drama that leans into longing, timing, and the ache of missed connection.
2010 · Drama, Romance · 1h 52m · R · Curator 7.4/10 (696.4K ratings) · Where to watch: Philo
For viewers who want romance with more rawness, pain, and emotional realism.
2004 · Romance, Drama · 2h 3m · PG-13 · Curator 5.8/10 (3.3M ratings) · Where to watch: Amazon Prime Video, Amazon Prime Video with Ads
A benchmark for sweeping, emotionally direct romance with strong tearjerker appeal.
2007 · Drama, Romance · 2h 6m · PG-13 · Curator 0.1/10 (3.5K ratings)
A sentimental grief-and-love story that prioritizes emotional release and catharsis.
2007 · Drama, History · 1h 52m · PG-13 · Curator 9.1/10 (166.1K ratings)
For a more artistically rendered story of bodily limitation, perspective, and resilience.
1996 · Drama, Romance, War · 2h 42m · R · Curator 6.6/10 (320.2K ratings) · Where to watch: fuboTV, Paramount Plus Premium
An adult romantic tragedy with longing, separation, and a deeply mournful emotional register.
Topics
romantic drama, teen romance, tearjerker, hospital setting, cystic fibrosis, YA melodrama, forbidden love, emotional, coming-of-age, 2010s
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