500 Miles (2026)

This is based on a book written for Young Adults that shares some emotional baggage with The Fault In Our Stars. The story is told in flashbacks and in the present. The story behind the title is that Finn overhears his father telling his mother that he is leaving and that he is taking Charlie with him. Finn decides to go on the run rather than let that happen, so with little money and fewer plans they hit the road to get to their granfather's home in Dingle Ireland, which is more or less 500 miles from where they start in Sheffield, England. The flashbacks demonstrate that life was the best for them as a family when they were there. In the present day, Finn and Charlie no longer have a relationship with their grandfather. Their grandmother has passed away, and their parents are constantly bickering. Sneaking out of their home, the brothers decide to embark on an ill-advised road trip, from Sheffield to the west coast of Ireland, to track down their grandfather and reunite the family. Their journey won’t be an easy one, as they’re too young to travel without adult supervision, and Matthews’ clever framing reminds us how vast the countryside is, hills and mountains dwarfing their small frames. Their journey gets a surprise assist from Kait (a lovely Maisie Williams), who they meet on a train while she is busking. It is admittedly overly sentimental but speaking as a family that have weathered severe childhood illness let me just say it is an overly sentimental experience and I appreciated this rendition.