Same Stars, Different Tears

By- Devyani Rawat

Cover Page and Editing by- Diksha Sharma

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It’s Cinematic Friday again, and here we are. If I’m being honest, The Fault in Our Stars feels like two different emotional experiences depending on whether I’m holding the book or watching the movie. The book feels quieter, heavier, and more intimate, as if Hazel is speaking directly into your thoughts, giving you time to sit with every fear, every soft moment of love, every unfair truth about life and illness. It lets the pain settle slowly, line by line, making you pause, reread, and feel things a little too deeply. The movie, on the other hand, takes that same story and makes it visible and immediate, with music swelling and expressions conveying what words once did, and Amsterdam glowing in a way that almost makes the heartbreak feel beautiful. Augustus feels brighter on screen, like a spark you know will fade, which somehow makes it hurt faster.

And the conclusion is obvious to me: books are better, always. They stay with you longer, hurt deeper, and feel more personal. But that doesn’t mean the movie didn’t get to me. I cried while reading the book, and I cried while watching the film too; different tears, same ache. Some stories are just built like that; no matter the form, they find a way to break you softly and stay.