This movie is heart-touching and relate not just to sick people.

Rating: 8/10 (12 June 2014)

The story is about a cancer patient, Hazel, her condition requiring her to always carry a set of breathing equipment. At a support group, she meets Gus, a boy with a prosthetic leg after amputation from cancer. Their relationship grow, sharing a same passion in the novels, going together to Amsterdam to meet their favorite writer, and dealing with their illnesses together. Until the end, it turns out that Gus goes ahead of Hazel.
The base story was a so-so for me. A sick girl finds love in a fellow sick boy, going through hardships, until at the end one of them dies. This recipe is the essence of almost all of Indonesian drama in the 80s and 90s, that they bore me and made me have some low expectations on this movie. I don't even want to elaborate on the story like used to on my reviews because it's the same like the ones I mentioned.
But the development into screenplay and the execution is just great. The little things that often go undermined are the ones that in fact make this movie different. Yes this movie truly relate to other sick people and their suffering. But this movie also relate to the healthy population, but feeling a bit unstable in their minds, particularly on the later parts. The value being spread implicitly is that it's okay to not having so many people adoring or following us, as long as there is one that cares and loves us deeply.
The dialog is quite the strong part of this movie. There are more than a few remarks and punchlines that really touch the emotions and the hearts of the viewers. I personally am not a person to weep over any movie, but sometimes I get the chills when a movie is inspiring, and I admit, the dialog of this movie does give me the chills. I personally like the first and last monologues, they really touches the heart quite bluntly without being softened. Also the lines Gus tell Monica's mother is just a punch to any person's conscience.
The side scenes are also worthy of mention. The struggle of Isaac in coping with his breakup and the efforts of Gus and Hazel to cheer him up is a great addition to the main story. The twist and revelation of Van Houten's own struggle with the memories of his daughter is also touching.
The cast of up-and-coming actors are just a great recipe for this movie. It's the second time we see Shailene Woodley and Ansel Elgort in one frame after being brothers and sisters in Divergent a few months back. Well, I sure see Shaylene Woodley feeling quite at home with this genre of drama romance after last year's The Spectacular Now. For me this is the first I see Elgort in a focal role, and he doesn't disappoint. He plays the character Gus well and quite enliven the intended liveliness of the character. An addition of a senior Willem Dafoe playing the disgruntled and grumpy Van Houten completes the recipe without stealing the focus from the two main characters.
The acting is just quite as expected. I say just expected because quite frankly there isn't any highlights from the whole act. The movie is being great more from it's screenplay and story points. At least Woodley's acting is quite good because she is successful in transitioning from the quite fun drama in The Spectacular Now to this rather sad story. The soundtrack is greatly done placed. The selection is quite the safe ones for the taste of the common era's young adults.
Overall from me, it's a movie worth an 8 out 10 score and a recommendation to go and see. With such a heart-touching story and values relating not only to sick people, I think it deserves it.