Review: Clouds

The Disney+ original movie, “Clouds”, released on Oct. 16, is based on a true story, about Zach Sobiech (Fin Argus), a high school junior who was diagnosed at the age of 14 with a rare bone cancer, Osteosarcoma. In 2012, when he was 17, after learning that he wouldn’t make it through the year, he decided to turn to music and write songs with his good friend Sammy (Sabrina Carpenter), and his legacy lives on through a song called “Clouds”. 

The movie starts out slightly comedic as Sobiech tries to keep his spirits up while being a senior in high school and going to the hospital for chemo treatments. However, when he receives his terminal diagnosis the movie takes a more emotional turn when there’s no longer as much hope that he will make a full recovery. 

It’s a thoughtful retelling of his last year, after deciding to end his chemo treatments, of him living his life to the fullest. However, at some points the transitions between events can be a little choppy but it’s not noticeable enough to really take away from the story. 

It’s a powerful story, most importantly for high school students who were around his age during the time the movie is based. At the beginning of the movie he is instructed in English class to write a college essay, only days after he was diagnosed as terminal, and would most likely not make it to college. 

The movie was directed by Justin Bardoni who also directed “Five Feet Apart” and a documentary series called “The Last Days”, along with many others. One of Bardoni’s episodes of “The Last Days” features Zach Sobiech in 2013 after he got his terminal diagnosis. Since he was very close to the story, it made the movie better that he was the one directing it.

Fin Argus, Sabrina Carpenter, and the rest of the cast do an amazing job portraying the real people that play a part in this story. Their performance is emotional and genuine and it only adds to the already captivating story. At some points during the movie you forget for a minute that these are characters and you aren’t watching a documentary. 

However, at no fault to the actors, the movie that is supposed to be greatly moving and emotional is not as much of a tearjerker as the true story deserves. The last scene in the movie, however, does it justice, when Laura Sobiech (Neve Campbell), Zach’s mom, finds his completed college essay that is an inspirational message for all audiences. 

Overall, Clouds is altogether a good movie that could be enjoyed by people of all ages. I feel that above all it is an important story for high school students because it’s about a senior in high school who is faced with a heartbreaking diagnosis but chooses to see the bright side. This movie is an inspiring reminder not to waste time not pursuing your dreams. Especially with such uncertainty in the world currently it’s important to grab every moment you can, take that trip, go to that concert, write a song, because you never know what the future holds.