7. Rachel (Olivia Cooke) - Me And Earl And The Dying Girl
The best of the current crop of Young Adult cinema, Alfonso Gomez-Rejons Me and Earl And The Dying Girl is one of 2015s sweetest surprises, a touch sentimental and quirky (as is YAs nature), but also blessed with an actual visual style, something rare in a genre usually lacking in anything even close to a cinematic aesthetic. Within it are three fine, unique young characters (as well as a hilarious supporting turn from Nick Offerman), best of whom is Olivia Cookes Rachel, a high-schooler recently diagnosed with cancer. If that sounds a little mawkish, then know that Rachel is sardonic and seemingly unfazed by her diagnosis; aware of the consequences, yes, but also willing to get on with it, to not be pitied. She initially rejects the friendship from Thomas Manns Greg because she knows it is forced, and she refuses to become his love interest because she is meta-aware about how that is the path she is expected to take. She never does, and it feels right. Of course, as the cancer intensifies and Olivia begins to lose her hair, she becomes sullen, a shell of her former self. Again, though, this is far from maudlin, and Olivias decision to eventually bow out whilst watching the film Greg has made for her (you get the impression that she was holding on until it was complete) is both devastating and heart-warming; an acknowledgement that death doesnt always have to be quite so dark (the film Greg shows her is a kaleidoscope of iridescent colour, projected on a huge screen which illuminates Rachel as she slips into a permanent sleep.)
