Five Feet Apart

Seventeen-year-old Stella spends most of her life inside a hospital, organizing every hour around treatments, isolation rules and the constant threat of infection because she has cystic fibrosis. When she meets Will, a charismatic fellow patient, their flirtation quickly deepens, but medical protocols force them to keep physical space between them. Stella's need for control clashes with Will's more impulsive approach, and their relationship is shaped by small acts of rebellion, intimate conversations and the pressure of rules designed to keep them alive. The film stays concentrated on their emotional bond and the compromises they consider, without revealing how their choices ultimately play out.

Released in 2019, Five Feet Apart was directed by Justin Baldoni and written by Mikki Daughtry and Tobias Iaconis. Haley Lu Richardson and Cole Sprouse lead the cast, supported by Moisés Arias, Kimberly Hébert Gregory and Parminder Nagra, giving the romance a grounded, character-driven film framework.

The movie connected strongly with younger viewers and reached a wider audience than many small romances do, helping the modest production recoup its costs and become a commercially notable release in its genre without relying on blockbuster scale.

Five Feet Apart generated significant social media buzz, with the phrase "five feet apart" entering everyday conversation among fans and sparking fan communities. It also brought more public attention to cystic fibrosis, encouraging conversations about infection control and the real-life realities patients face while prompting both praise for raising awareness and debate over certain medical portrayals.

Audience response leaned positive, reflected in a vote average of 8.221/10 from 5,838 votes, while critics gave mixed reviews on the balance of sentiment and medical detail. The film centers on themes of control versus risk, intimacy constrained by illness, and how teenagers try to claim normalcy and connection when serious health concerns shape every choice.