If I Stay - 12A, 107 mins

Tissues at the ready for a heart-wrenching ending
By The Newsroom
Published 31st Aug 2014, 07:00 BST
Chloe Grace Moretz as Mia HallChloe Grace Moretz as Mia Hall
Chloe Grace Moretz as Mia Hall

Young adults who shed their body weight in tears at The Fault In Our Stars, will be similarly dehydrated by the conclusion of RJ Cutler’s drama.

Based on Gayle Forman’s novel, If I Stay centres on a teenager in limbo between life and death, who must choose between waking from her coma or skipping towards the light.

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Screenwriter Shauna Cross sidesteps a serious discussion by distilling the teenager’s ruminations into a series of flashbacks and montages of an enviably carefree childhood and a fairy-tale school romance.

A contrived finale is sign-posted well in advance so teenagers have plenty of time to arm themselves with tissues to contain their sobs.