Everything, Everything a sumptuous fantasy of teen love
The sickly teen romantic weepy isn’t exactly a new genre — consider the 1970 smash hit “Love Story” — but it’s gained resurgence in the past few years with the runaway success of the likes of “The Fault in Our Stars.” The success or f ailure of such a film, which can so often dip treacherously too far into sentimentality, rides on the plucky charm of its lead actors. Fortunately, “Everything, Everything,” based on the novel by Nicola Yoon, has the radiant Amandla Stenberg at the centre.
Stenberg’s relaxed charisma carries what’s a rather preposterous premise. She plays Maddy, an 18-year-old girl who’s been confined to her hermetically sealed, sterilized high-end modern home for her entire life, to avoid the threat of infection. She’s got Severe Combined Immunodeficiency Disorder, or SCID.
But all it takes is a glimpse of a moving truck and the new hunk next door to burst Maddy’s carefully curated bubble. After a few furtive glances with Olly (Nick Robinson), and a few texts, the two are quickly down the path to f alling in love, a secret they keep from her controlling physician mother, Pauline (Anika Noni Rose).
Aside from its leading lady, what “Everything, Everything” has going for it is its light, fantastical esthetic, an unexpected sense of buoyancy and light. Maddy has a highly developed imagination, informed by the books she reads, and the architectural models she builds. Director Stella Meghie sets the text conversations between Maddy and Olly in the diners and libraries she designs, which brings a visual intimacy to their budding connection and a quirky sense of humour and style to what could be rather maudlin and staid proceedings.
Olly is, unfortunately, underwritten. Like many of the male leads in films of this ilk, he is only defined by his love for Maddy, which seems to spring out of thin air. Robinson brings the right kind of puppyish affection, but facets of his personality and backstory are only suggested — an abusive f ather, an affinity for math and skateboarding. Mostly all we know about him is he is unwaveringly devoted to Maddy and her happiness. Maddy’s notions of her own happiness involve the ocean, Hawaii and unfettered access to Olly.
Like all reckless, wanton teens in love throughout history anything is possible, and if it isn’t, they’ll try anyway. “Every-
thing, Everything” is a sumptuous fantasy of teen love taken to the highest stakes with the threat of fatal illness, but without any of the unappealing physical symptoms. There is no delicate coughing into a hanky here.
“Everything, Everything” plumbs the limits of disbelief at times, but before this light as air love story floats away entirely, it redeems itself with a dark, f ascinating plot development that grounds it firmly to earth. You almost wish that more attention would have been paid to this part of the story, exploring the psychology and consequences, rather than swooning over the shallow love story.