The Fault in Our Stars (TFIOS) is a romantic movie starring Shailene Woodley, Ansel Elgort, Nat Wolff, Laura Dern, Sam Trammell, and Willem Dafoe, and was released on June 6, 2014. When two teenagers bond through cancer, they ride the roller coaster of their lives.
Shailene Woodley plays Hazel Grace Lancaster, a teenage girl who has lung cancer. (I know what you are thinking, another cancer movie). She is introverted and spends most of her time indoors watching movies and reading books.
After one of her regular check-ups, her mother, Frannie (Laura Dern), points out that Hazel is depressed. Thus, her idea is to encourage her out into the world and make new friends by attending a cancer support group.
This is where Hazel meets Agustus Waters and Isaac (played by Ansel Elgort and Nat Wolf). They seem to have different mindsets. She is more down-to-earth and realistic about her disease, whereas he is on a “roller coaster that only goes up.”
Thereafter, Augustus approaches Hazel. Furthermore, she reveals her favorite book is “An Imperial Affliction,” and he names “Counter Insurgence.” They exchange the books for the others to read. Afterward, he ends up as fascinated as she is.
“An Imperial Affliction” is a book about cancer written by Peter Van Houten (Willem Dafoe). Nonetheless, it ends up in the middle of the sentence. Therefore, they embark on a mission to find out what happens to the characters. This leads them to contact Van Houten via email, who is kind enough to invite them to Amsterdam.
Upon meeting him, they find out that he is the opposite of what they had in mind. Apparently, he seems to have derailed in life and is no longer the promising writer he once was. Worst of all, they will not get any answers.
Nevertheless, they don’t let this affect their once-in-a-lifetime trip. In fact, they do some sightseeing and visit the Anne Frank Museum. However, reality hits once he reveals his cancer has worsened.
At Augustus’ funeral, Peter Van Houten explains to Hazel that the main character of his book is his daughter. But at this point, she is no longer interested in the book or its meaning. Angrily, she tells him to go away but not before him handing her a letter.
“What did Dom Perignon say to fellow monks after he invented champagne?
-John Green, The Fault in Our Stars (2012)
Come quickly, I am tasting the stars.“
The letter is a eulogy for Hazel, written by Gus. Once she starts reading it, this shit still hurts, everything. “The Fault in Our Stars” is so real: happy scenes, sad ones, love, death. It’s something we all can and will relate to at one point in life.
Jonn Green is an American author. To know more about his catalog, visit johngreenbooks.
Watch the sneak peek of “TFIOS” in the link below.
