Reviewed: The Fault In Our Stars

****

I have a habit of judging features by their front covers. The moment I saw The Fault In Our Stars cover – two romantically attached teenagers sitting side by side – amidst a chalky title, I was convinced this was either going to be mawkish, depressing or both. Analyzing a movie by its picture and title usually works with run-of-the-mill refuse: college B-movies, Hollywood blockbuster sequels, plotless Indian remakes of those very Hollywood blockbuster sequels etc.

The Fault In Our Stars certainly came close to being depressing and mawkish but was neither.

After being forced to attend a support group, sixteen-year-old cancer patient Hazel Grace (Shailene Woodley) meets Augustus Waters (Ansel Elgort), a previous sufferer of osteosarcoma. After Hazel introduces Augustus to An Imperial Affliction, a novel that matches her own experiences, he becomes intrigued by its lack of a conclusion. The two of them decide to track down the novel’s author – Peter Van Houten (Willem Dafoe) – who resides in Amsterdam. What happens next is highly unpredictable and a little heartbreaking....

22-year old Shailene Woodley is fast becoming the poster child of the contemporary critically acclaimed teenage drama, last year’s The Spectacular Now being her first foray into romantic indie territory. Woodley’s powerful performance and her unconventional beauty make her the perfect choice for Hazel. Hell, Paul Thomas Anderson even cast her in his upcoming extravaganza Inherent Vice. Take that, Jennifer Lawrence!

Adapted from the John Green novel of the same name, the Fault In Our Stars proved to be a box-office behemoth, earning a whopping $300m from its modest budget of $12m. Unsurprising, given that this is a well-made picture almost anyone of any age can appreciate. A slew of sequels and copycat features will surely follow; India’s Fox Star Studios is already doing a Hindi remake.

The Fault In Our Stars thoroughly deserves all the praise it has received. It is moving, truthful and remarkably realistic; a gripping adolescent drama that is not to be missed.

Reviewed by Rehan Mudannayake