Cinema Wednesdays - Special edition: Love in the movies - Alissa Musumeci
Hazel Grace Lancaster has been dependent on an oxygen tube from an early age due to a respiratory problem. This doesn't stop her from meeting the person who will give her life a new turn: Augustus Water, nicknamed «Gus». He has lost one of his legs to cancer. Despite the horrors that life has decided to throw at him, Gus is committed to helping Hazel discover the bright side of life, forgetting about her illness for a few precious moments. He will offer her eternity, even though their days are numbered.
Film based on the 2012 bestseller by John Green, inspired by a quote from Romeo and Juliette for its French-language title: «A pris naissance, sous des étoiles contraires, un couple d'amoureux.» A novel suitable for young people, which nonetheless conveys a message of infinite power to all age groups.
Josh Boone, the film's director, was keen to accurately portray the contrast in character between the main characters. Sixteen-year-old Hazel seems to have already lost her taste for teenage life to the point of rejecting the love of others, unlike Augustus. Indeed, at no time is he thrown by Hazel's coldness towards him. The young man, full of joy and good humor, lives his life exactly like an ordinary teenager, giving way to feelings both positive and negative, while being aware of what's happening to him.
Another strong element is the acceptance of death. Gus organizes his pre-funeral and wants to attend Hazel's eulogy on the day of her funeral. The young man knows that death is an inevitable and ever-closer passage when he learns of the presence of metastases throughout his body, but this doesn't mean he's despondent. Illness has forged in him an atypical maturity for a young man of his age.
The presence of a large number of puns gives the film a particular and unique rhythm. The relationship between the two young people is based on a line from the story with its key metaphor: «Maybe ‘OK’ will be our ‘Forever’".’.»It's a perfectly banal word, which in time becomes almost a synonym for «don't give up, we're together». A moving lesson in life, packed into a single film.
Write to the author: alissa.musumeci@leregardlibre.com
Photo credit: © Temple Hill Entertainment
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