John Kennedy Toole was 25 when he wrote A Confederacy of Dunces. He committed suicide six years later, having long suffered from grief, escalating paranoia and (very likely) despair over having failed to get his book published.
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| Zach (Fin Argus) and Sammy (Sabrina Carpenter) noodle their way through the first few lines of a song-in-progress, little realizing where this creative burst will eventually lead. |
Zach Sobiech, on the other hand, didget to watch one of his songs become a hit.
But only briefly.
Director Justin Baldoni’s deeply moving Clouds depicts Sobiech’s final tumultuous year — as a high school senior — after having battled osteosarcoma (bone cancer) for several years. Baldoni’s heartwarming film is a dramatized expansion of an episode of the documentary series My Last Days, which he produced in 2013, and which featured Sobiech.
This film’s screenplay — by Kara Holden, Casey La Scala and Patrick Kopka — is adapted from the memoir Fly a Little Higher, by Sobiech’s mother Laura. The scripters have taken a few liberties — shortening the key timeline, adding a bit of dramatic tension and a few “movie moments” — but the core story is quite accurate.
Accurate enough, in fact, to have earned the approval of Zach’s family and close friends (many of whom pop up in various background shots).
Fin Argus, best known for the TV shows The Commute and Total Eclipse, makes a solid feature starring debut as Zach. It’s a challenging role; under Baldoni’s careful direction, Argus deftly navigates the extremes of stubborn determination — without becoming some sort of overly cheerful poster child for cancer sufferers — and, alternatively, bouts of grinding despair.
The family dynamic also feels wholly natural, notably the good-natured teasing and jostling that takes place with older siblings Alli (Vivien Endicott Douglas) and Sam (Dylan Everett), and younger sister Grace (Summer H. Howell). The interactions between Argus and Howell are particularly strong, and one of their later scenes is a killer.
Neve Campbell does well with her equally difficult role as Laura. I can’t imagine how such a parent would be so torn in real life, between wanting to hover over every hint of setback or relapse, and also wanting a young adult to enjoy — as much as possible — living his own life, and making his own decisions. Campbell often seems to silently “vibrate,” as if Laura wants to be ever-ready for the next crisis; Campbell’s expression also speaks volumes at times, as Laura checks her impulse to argue, or say the wrong thing.
Campbell also shares one of this film’s toughest scenes with Argus, late in the third act; it, too, is a killer.
It took awhile to accept Tom Everett Scott’s performance as Zach’s father, Rob; unlike the others, who are so natural, Scott initially appears false, like an actor feigning a role. But this, too, is deliberate; it eventually becomes clear that Rob has had the most trouble accepting this situation, and therefore tries (badly) to surf above the turbulent waves.
Lest you assume that this film is a relentless tear-jerker, that’s far from the truth, thanks to the talented young actresses who portray the other two important people in Zach’s life.
Sabrina Carpenter, late of TV’s Girl Meets World, is radiant as his best friend Sammy; as she jokes as one point, they’ve been inseparable since they “were in diapers” (absolutely true). As this film begins, they’ve also been making music together for years, although she’s shy about exposing her writing or singing skills to the greater world.
One of this script’s nice touches is the depiction of her stage fright in an initial scene, and that moment’s outcome, which then circles back at the end of the film.
Despite his crutches and bald pate — the result of chemo treatments — Zach is a popular fixture at high school, in part because his fellow students see only his jovial side. But Sammy is present for the moments of despair; perhaps even more so than Zach’s family, she’s able to bring him out of a funk. Carpenter makes the young woman wise, perky, snarky and sympathetic.
And deeply, deeply in love. We see it in Carpenter’s eyes. And, in the true nature of such stories, Zach is oblivious; to him, it would be like falling in love with one of his sisters.
To further complicate matters, Zach has long been admired by Amy (Madison Iseman), a member of the high school dance troupe. He has noticed her, of course, but believes himself “undateable” and not good enough for her. Sammy persuades him to make the leap, at which point he and Amy become a couple.
Iseman is buoyant and equally adorable; she makes Amy candid and persistent, particularly when a still-disbelieving Zach wonders aloud why she’d want to be with him, given his condition.
“Do you like me?” she asks, and of course he says yes.
“Even though I don’t have cancer?” she continues, with an impish smile. What a perfect line … and Iseman delivers it with complete sincerity.
It seems almost inconceivable that one guy would be lucky enough to have two such wonderful female companions in his life, but Baldoni and his scripters make this seem absolutely reasonable. Nor is there any competitive angst between Sammy and Amy; they remain good friends (although this film emphasizes Sammy’s silent, unrequited love more than was the case in real life … according to what the actual Amy and Sammy claim, at any rate).
Lil Rel Howery is a hoot as the school’s English teacher, Mr. Weaver; Howery nails the charismatic dynamic that characterizes the best instructors we remember from our own childhoods. He also serves as a wise mentor during some of Zach’s down and doubtful moments. Howery and Argus share a warm moment while stretched out on the otherwise empty school football field.
Although Zach’s deteriorating condition is a constant, Baldoni pays equal attention to the exhilarating creative process shared by Zach and Sammy, and the can’t-be-ignored impulse that prompts one or the other to jot down a few lines of lyrics. Their collaborative energy is palpable, and if where that eventually leads seems unlikely … well, that’s what actually happened.
I’m also impressed by the fact that, although an entry in the “faith cinema” genre, this film neither preaches nor proselytizes; the religious element is quite subtle. These folks have God and love in their hearts, and it’s simply one of many character traits. (How totally refreshing, for numerous reasons.)
That said, a brief family vacation to France — prompted by Laura’s hope that a dip in the healing waters at Lourdes might prompt some sort of miracle — seems a bit contrived, amid the rest of this saga. It’s out of character for the Zach we’ve gotten to know (even though it actually happened in real life).
A film so engrossed with music naturally requires a busy song score, and music supervisor Jordan Carroll delivers. We initially hear snatches of pop and spiritual tunes such as “Sexy and I Know It,” “I’m Yours” and “Jesus Be a Fence Around Me”; as we move into the second and third acts, the score becomes dominated by Zach and Sammy’s songs — “Blueberries,” “Coffee Cup” and others — under their collaborative band name, A Firm Handshake.
Make no mistake: This is an unapologetic tear-jerker, and you’d need a heart of stone to avoid being moved at least half a dozen times. But these moments of tragedy are leavened by equally powerful moments of uplifting triumph.
Baldoni’s film does quite well by the young man who once said, “I want to be remembered as a kid who went down fighting, and didn’t really lose.”
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