If I Stay is a powerful novel written by Gayle Forman which was recently turned into a highly-anticipated movie. The movie follows Mia Hall as she has an out-of-body experience resulting from a car crash that changes her life. She reflects back on her life, hoping it will help her choose whether to stay and live her life, or to die.

Mia Hall, an eighteen-year old cellist, goes for a car ride with her family. It had been snowing and when a car turns the corner, there is no way to stop the crash. Mia is rushed to the nearest hospital with potentially fatal injuries, but instead falls into a coma. Meanwhile, her family is spread around the hospital, all uncertain as to whether or not they will survive.

During her coma, Mia thinks back on certain events of her life that were special to her, trying to decide if it is enough to make her stay. She thinks about the time she first saw the cello, an instrument that eventually led her to audition for Juilliard. She thinks about the first time she talked to Adam Wilde, her rocker boyfriend, and how he asked her on a date.

Music plays a large part in this movie. Mia is a prodigal cellist who has a good work ethic and strives to be her best. Adam is the singer and lead-guitarist in an up-and-coming band. Both are intensely dedicated to music and that is what brings them together. Music also plays a huge part in the decision of whether she dies or stays.

The actors chosen to portray these characters, Chloë Grace Moretz (Mia Hall) and Jamie Blackley (Adam Wilde), were very compelling in their parts. The actors resembled the characters from the book, and they were able to let their character’s personality shine through, even in the dark moments. As you watch the movie play out, it begins to seem as if the actors really are their characters. You can feel their pain and their happiness, and as Mia is lying comatose in a hospital bed, you feel the hopelessness and despair from Adam.

The musical score only adds to the drama and the actuality that this could happen in everyday life. Songs like “Halo” by Ane Brun & Linnea Olsen and “Today” by Willamette Stone showcase the different emotions of the movie, ranging from sad and depressed to hopeful and loving life. Adams’ band, Willamette Stone, helps the audience connect with the characters even more: a small-town band getting bigger and more popular is relatable to nearly everyone, even if there’s not a band in your town. The movie really captures the essence of Adam and his band. There is a wide variety of music in this movie―from rock n’ roll songs about how life is great to  the classical music that Mia loves.

If you want a feel-good yet heart-breaking movie, If I Stay is the perfect choice. The movie will have you hooked from the beginning and you’ll be dying to know if she decides to stay. This movie will leave you breathless, make you laugh and cry, and make you wonder what you would choose if you were faced with similar choices. Recommended movie-goer items: tissues. Lots and lots of tissues.