Let me start by saying that romance novels aren’t really my cup of tea. However, when I read “The Fault in Our Stars” by Indiana’s own John Green, I had a change of heart. When it was announced that the novel was going to be made into a movie, I had a hard time believing that any crew and cast would be able to capture the beauty and genius that fills the 336 pages. I was completely wrong.

While the movie leaves out some minor details from the book, it maintains the books message, that life, while sometimes short, is filled with love and beauty, if you look for it.

While depressing and often very heavy, the movie is also filled with unexpected laughs and a sense of hope that there is something more to look forward to after we pass on. Hazel (Shailene Woodley), a young girl with terminal cancer and Augustus, (Ansel Elgort) meet at a support group for cancer patients and survivors and quickly hit it off. This chance encounter takes them on the journey of a lifetime, a lifetime in which they both fear may be over far too soon. While audiences see Hazel and Gus bond over their favorite books and travel to Amsterdam, there is a constant reminder to live life to the fullest while we have the chance and to appreciate every moment. Director Josh Boone captures the horror and instability of life with cancer by exposing audiences to the darker parts of life and illness.

Woodley and Elgort do a fantastic job of conveying the idea that, even with a terminal illness, you can find happiness. They both give a convincing portrayal of star-crossed lovers trying to navigate their way through a life of heavy medication, fear and constantly hoping for a miracle.

            Maybe I loved “The Fault in Our Stars” so much because it’s not your average love story. While the romantic aspects are present throughout the entire movie, it also makes you accept a horrific yet very true fact: all of us will eventually die. But, if you can accept that, you can find happiness in your life. As Hazel put it, “There was time before organisms experienced consciousness, and there will be time after. And if the inevitability of human oblivion worries you, I encourage you to ignore it”.

While we can’t escape the inevitability of oblivion, as this movie points out, ‘Fault in our stars’ sends the message to audiences that if you can find one person who cares about you, then you will never truly be forgotten.