Need a good cry? Watch ‘Clouds’
If you have been feeling anything close to how I’ve been feeling, you need a good cry and I have just the movie for you. “Clouds” was released on Disney+ on Oct. 16, and when I tell you that I have never cried harder at a movie in my life, I mean that I cried more times during “Clouds” than I have in any other movie ever.
Starring Fin Argus as Zach Sobiech and Sabrina Carpenter as Sammy Brown, “Clouds” tells the true story of a boy navigating high school and cancer. It might seem redundant next to “The Fault in our Stars” or “A Walk to Remember,” but “Clouds” is not your typical cancer movie.
People react to “Clouds” differently, and by that I mean everyone cries at different points in the movie. So, it’s only fitting that I reveal which particular moments broke me the most.
Editor’s note: spoilers ahead
My first tears fell at timestamp 1:13:50, a scene between Zach’s parents, Rob and Laura Sobiech. After surprising Zach with a sports car, Rob is confronted by Laura because he hadn’t included her in the surprise. The argument, of course, isn’t really about not including Laura in a surprise for Zach, but is about Rob’s constant avoidance and emotional separation from her. By addressing his distance, Laura discovers something she didn’t expect: a shattered man, who is destroyed by the knowledge of his son dying and nothing he can do about it. This scene is emotionally charged because it is brutally honest about how Zach’s cancer has affected his parents and their relationship. These effects are beyond Zach’s control, which makes those emotions more tragic.
Childhood cancer is no one’s fault, which is what makes “Clouds” so devastating.
Just to prepare you, this is when I cried the hardest: At 1:36:36 Zach’s doctor comes upstairs to tell his parents that while Zach is a fighter, “his body is shutting down.” Watching Zach’s family react to this horrific news is a tearjerker, but wait, it gets worse.
Summer H. Howell deserves a shout out for her portrayal of Zach’s youngest sister, Grace. At timestamp 1:37:18, the camera pans to Grace, who is sitting on the stairs and sobbing. Her mother joins her, realizing that Grace just overheard that her brother could die any day now.
There’s something so beautifully tragic about Grace’s character. We watch Grace struggle to find the balance between grieving before her brother passes and being a real sister, who teases and adores her brother. This is a story that I personally have wanted to hear for a long time — it’s refreshing to see Grace’s character get so much screen time and development.
The vulnerability throughout this movie is so tangible that I felt as though I held its weight on my shoulders, and with every passing breakdown, the weight was slowly lifted. I loved how “Clouds” opened up a conversation about how families and friends are affected by cancer’s destructive nature, but the movie did this in a way I haven’t seen before. Rather than only focusing on Zach and his closest friends, “Clouds” takes the time to bring depth to each character, including Zach’s sisters, brother, mom, dad and even high school English teacher. Each person has a story to be told, that much is made very clear through the direction and screenplay.
Emily White is a junior studying English and broadcast journalism. She is currently serving as the senior writer for the Lifestyles section of the Statesman.
—emily.white@usu.edu