Chronic illness can be a complex and debilitating element in our lives. Therefore, people throughout history have attempted to develop methods of approaching chronic illness psychologically to cope with it better and find emotional recovery as well as physical. The Chaos Narrative is a perspective introduced by Arthur W. Frank in his analytical book, The Wounded Storyteller. Frank describes this narrative as a particular, pessimistic way that individuals describe illness, consisting of a general storyline that includes illness, struggle, and a lack of hope for eventual recovery or complete restitution. This narrative is particularly unique in that it does not place a large emphasis on the socially desirable concepts of healing or hope. Instead, it offers an understanding of those who find their resistance against chronic illness to be futile and devastating. This point of view is illuminated in the film, Five Feet Apart, directed by Justin Baldoni and released in 2019. This film follows the lives of cystic fibrosis (CF) patients who struggle in isolation from birth as contact with other people, especially other CF patients, could kill them. It ends in the tragic death of a main character, Poe, and the eventual separation of two romantically linked characters, Will and Stella. Despite the protagonists’ attempts to connect and find happiness, their illness eventually drives them apart and the film ends in death and tragedy. This film supports the idea posed by Frank that a lack of acceptance of the chaos narrative can lead to unfounded hope, which can only result in further devastation. In this essay, I will first explore Arthur Frank’s conceptualization of the chaos narrative, then the film Five Feet Apart, and, finally, their applications to one another.

The chaos narrative is the least hopeful and most devastating narrative in considering and coping with illness. Frank describes chaos narratives to “reveal vulnerability, futility, and impotence [in the face of struggle and illness],” and that “[c]haos is the opposite of restitution; it imagines life never getting better,” (Frank 97). In his lens text, Arthur makes the point that it becomes incredibly difficult to imagine a resolution at the end of a deep, tiring struggle in stories that align with this narrative. These narratives apply the most to cases in which there is a life-long struggle in grappling with the side effects of an illness or event. Frank makes direct reference to the Holocaust to describe the struggle to verbalize the pain that can come along with trauma. He writes, “What cannot be evaded in stories told by Holocaust witnesses is the hole in the narrative that cannot be filled in, or… cannot be sutured. The story traces the edges of a wound that is so much of the body, its insults, agonies, and losses, that words necessarily fail,” (Frank 98). He describes that chaos narratives are inherently difficult to reflect on verbally, in that they are so emotional, tragic, and raw that it is almost impossible to understand the pain they cause without having lived them (Frank 115).

Furthermore, Frank places a large emphasis on how unsatisfying the chaos narrative can be. People aspire to find hope and inspiration in the stories of those who have undergone the greatest struggles; however, these narratives do not offer that relief. Rather, Frank argues: “Chaos feeds on the sense that no one is in control. People living these stories regularly accuse medicine of seeking to maintain its pretense of control – its restitution narrative – at the expense of denying the suffering of what it cannot treat,” (Frank 100). In this quote, Frank is reflecting on the social undesirability of the chaos narrative. It strips us of our desire for and façade of constantly being in control of our own lives and able to recover from whatever physical or emotional sickness is plaguing us. This lack of control can be inherently painful and make the inflicted feel as if they are being denied their truth, and as if their narrative cannot be satisfying to those hearing it. This social desire to satisfy others with a restitution-centered story makes it far more difficult for the afflicted to accept the futility of their struggle and further endangers them to be let down, disappointed, and destroyed.

This idea is heavily supported by the film, Five Feet Apart, in which the two protagonists, Will and Stella, suffer from Cystic Fibrosis (CF) and are left in tragedy as they have to come to terms with the chaos narrative that encompasses their lives. CF is a life-threatening illness that forces them to stay at least 6 feet apart at all times, as a transfer of pathogens between the two of them could kill them both. A major plotline in the film describes their attempts to find fulfillment in their lives which, until the moment that they met, were incredibly unhopeful and lonely. As they get to know each other, they make an agreement to only remain five feet apart instead of 6, as it makes them feel as if they are more in control of their destiny than their illness is. This idea is highlighted in the scene where the characters first meet, and Stella says to Will, “Let me guess, you’re the kind of guy that ignores the rules because it makes you feel in control,” and Will agrees. Throughout the film, their attempts to escape from their illness and the restrictions that it places upon them and their happiness prove catastrophic, as they begin to get each other sicker and into dangerous, life-threatening situations. They also see one of their best friends, Poe, die from CF. Eventually, it becomes apparent that they can never escape from the pain and control with which their sickness afflicts them. Their tragedy is inevitable and is not until the end of the film, when Will is forced to leave Stella and go to another hospital, that they both recognize this. By coming to terms with the chaos storyline that encompasses their lives, they are both, once again, left devastated and alone. Rather than this experience  becoming a “quest” in which one seeks to take advantage of their situation as a learning experience, it is rather a form of surrender to the illness that has consumed their lives. They undergo the suffering that is an element of both narratives, but gain nothing positive from the pain, which is unique to the chaos narrative. This is manifested in the final scene of the movie, where Will is forced to say goodbye to Stella forever to say her life. He says, “They say if you love something let it go… I don’t wanna go, but I have to.” In this, Will surrenders to CF and gives up on the hope of them ever being together, sacrificing any relationship he could ever have with her for the hope that she will survive.

Frank, in his writing, is able to describe the struggle that comes with unfounded hope in the face of inevitable pain caused by chronic illness or catastrophe. He states that “[a]ll of us on the inside of some chaos want assurances that if we fell in, we could get out. But the chaos narrative is beyond such bargaining; there is no way out,” (Frank 102). This perfectly describes Will and Stella’s situation; they both had the unwavering desire to believe that, even though they were plagued with their illness, they would find a way to still find happiness and comfort in one another. What they hadn’t come to terms with until the end of the film, however, was that there may never be that restitution in their story – they are fated to the failure and suffering that their illness has inflicted upon them, no matter how much they desire to escape from it. Their initial hope that they could escape, or outrun, their illness was unfounded and only left them worse off than when they started; they were left with the pain of a memory of what could have been and what they have lost, even if they know that their image of being together, truly, could never have been. This further suggests that the quest narrative is unbefitting to this film; there was no benefit or learning gained from their struggles with illness and lost.

In summary, by refusing to accept the inevitable tragedy and lack of resolution that comes with stories that align with the chaos narrative, both Will and Stella in the film, Five Feet Apart, are left in tragedy and pain as they lose each other. Their hope to escape from the inevitable was unfounded and only worsened the pain of the loss of their idealistic dreams. This highlights the importance of accepting the chaos narrative, especially in others’ storytelling, preventing the formulation of false, unfounded, hope, which can only result in more devastation. It highlights a need to shift away from the idealistic Restitution Narrative, which can often be unattainable and misleading.