Clouds

The strength of a good film is to succeed in moving us deeply and make us better understand our ephemeral presence on this earth. Whether it is Good Will Hunting (1987), The Bridges of Madison County (1996) or Clouds, these films have deeply marked us by the quality of their script, the remarkable interpretation of their actors, but also by a real desire to remain realistic and to avoid any search for an artificial mechanism to appeal to viewers.

Far from offering yet another biopic, Clouds finds the perfect match between the inspirations of a young 17-year-old teenager, Zach Sobiech (Fin Argus), suffering from bone cancer for the music he composes with his best friend Sammy (Sabrina Carpenter) and his life with his parents two sisters and his girlfriend Amy (Madison Iseman). Kara Holden's screenplay is based on the book written by Laura Sobiech, Zach Sobiech's mother, Fly a Little Higher: How God Answered a Mom's Small Prayer in a Big Way, and intelligently and without overwhelming sentimentality addresses the life of a young artist who creates songs with his friend Sammy that succeed in conquering a large audience on youtube but also capture the interest of a famous record company thanks in part to the help of their teacher Mr. Weaver.

What is even more interesting with this film is that its concept moves away from a Walt Disney Pictures DNA movie to propose a more mature approach and a more relevant look at adolescence. Clouds was initially scheduled to be released in theaters and distributed by Warner Bros., the global pandemic decided otherwise and the film will be released on October 16th and worldwide on Disney +. The quality of Justin Baldoni's second film after Five Feet Apat (2019) would have allowed it to be released in cinemas. The great care given to the aesthetics of the film as well as to the editing makes Clouds a real cinematic event on Disney + and shows that this streaming platform has been able to expand its repertoire and hold its own against Netflix and Amazon Prime Video.

Clouds is also based on a quality cast that includes, to our great pleasure, Neve Campbell (Scream film saga), Tom Everett Scott, Sabrina Carpenter (Horns (2013), The hate U give (2019), Work it (2020)...), Madison Iseman (Annabelle comes home (2019), Jumanji: Next Leve (2019), Nocturne (2020)), around Fin Argus who plays the main character here. Such a casting easily reinforces our adhesion and above all will allow us to go from laughter to tears throughout the story. Zach Sobiech, far from admitting to being overcome by the disease that eats away at him, will be able to put into practice the time he has left to live a true love story, but also to create a song whose title will pay tribute to the memory of millions of people forever. By highlighting the importance of music as a means of expression and a way to express true feelings, Clouds leaves us with a long-lasting memory and shows us that we must enjoy each day as if it were our last. We can therefore only advise you to start covering this film on Disney + as early as Friday.

Clouds
Directed by Justin Baldoni
Produced by Justin Baldoni, Andrew Lazar, Casey La Scala
Screenplay by Kara Holden
Story by Patrick Kopka, Casey La Scala, Kara Holden
Based on Fly a Little Higher: How God Answered a Mom's Small Prayer in a Big Way by Laura Sobiech
Starring Fin Argus, Sabrina Carpenter, Madison Iseman, Neve Campbell, Tom Everett Scott, Lil Rel Howery
Music by Brian Tyler
Cinematography: Ben Kutchins
Edited by Brett M. Reed
Production companies: Warner Bros. Pictures, Mad Chance Productions, La Scala Films, Wayfarer Studios
Distributed by Disney+
Release date: October 16, 2020
Running time: 121 minutes

Viewed on December 12, 2020 (screener press)

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