2014 was a great year as far as young adult book-to-film adaptations are concerned. We had The Fault In Our Stars, the penultimate film in the Hunger Games franchise and the first Divergent film to name just a few – but perhaps one of the most underrated was If I Stay.
The movie was adapted from Gayle Forman’s 2009 novel of the same name and told the story of Mia Hall (played by Chloë Grace Moretz), whose family are involved in a car accident early on in the film. The timeline jumps between Mia’s past and her present, as she has an out-of-body experience while she is stuck in a coma. We learn about her life and relationships as she makes the terrifying decision of whether to stay alive.
It is an incredibly moving story, but arguably its most impressive aspect is its soundtrack. Mia, her family, and her boyfriend Adam (Jamie Blackley) are all musicians – Mia is a cellist and Adam is in a rock band called Willamette Stone. The band provide several songs to the soundtrack, and it is truly such a shame they are fictional because some of the songs, such as ‘Heart Like Yours’ and their cover of ‘Today’ by Smashing Pumpkins, really are great. The film also includes a special version of Tom Odell’s ‘Heal’.
While the critical response to the film wasn’t great, it still picked up the People’s Choice Award for Favourite Dramatic Movie Actress (Moretz), as well as two Teen Choice Awards, proving it to be a hit with much of it’s audience. It’s worth giving it a go if you’re in the mood to cry at a romantic movie.
If I Stay is available to stream on Amazon Prime.
Watch the trailer here:
