By Chlotrudis Independent Film Society
Rating: 4 cats
Director: Alice Wu
Starring: Alexxis Lemire | Daniel Diemer | Leah Lewis | Wolfgang Novogratz
Country: united_states
Year: 2020
Running time: 104
IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt9683478/reference
Michael says: “Well, I’m not really sure what to think about Alice Wu’s sweet and heartfelt confection, THE HALF OF IT. On the one hand, it’s basically a John Hughes version of Cyrano de Bergerac with a gender flip. And when looked at through that lens, it’s enjoyable enough, but does really challenge you. Ellie is the sole Chinese high school senior in the tiny Washington town of Squahamish. She’s the kind of misfit outsider who’s confident enough in her own life to not let the careless insults of her students visually bother her, and she’s got a pretty good side gig making money writing all their essays, so guess who’s going to get the last laugh? Problem is, she tends to get weak in the knees in the presence of Aster, the beautiful popular girl who is not a lifelong Squahamishite, is dating the superstar rock star of the senior class, and also happens to be the preacher’s daughter. When football-playing doofus Paul, offers to pay Ellie $50 to write a love letter for him so he can give it to Aster, all the pieces fall into place. And that thread of the storyline goes pretty much as you’d expect.
“Except the relationships between the three principals become beautiful explorations into friendship, loneliness, loning, connection, and even love. Ellie’s yearning for Aster is embodied in the letters she writes her for Paul, and in some ways they allow her to tap her true feelings, possibly for the first time in her life. Then there’s Paul, who’s really a nice guy, loyal, gentle, kind, and at a certain point, comes to the realization that maybe he’s falling for the wrong girl? Then there’s a moment in a dreamy glade in the primal Norwestern forest where Ellie and Aster get real while listening to Chicago’s “If You Leave Me Now,” which was a very important song in my coming-of-age, and touches on something so sweetly beautiful that transcends the John Hughes-esque vibe that it transforms the moment with such emotion.
“And that’s just one of the ways Wu elevates THE HALF OF IT above the traditional three-way romance. Then there’s the sensitive and thoughtful way she touches on race, language, religion, and sexual orientation, each enough for a single film, but together they create a beautiful menage, that might be a little schizophrenic, but somehow it all works. And I would be remiss in not mentioning Leah Lewis the compelling actress who brings Ellie to life. I remember seeing Wu’s debut narrative, SAVING FACE 16 years ago at the Provincetown International Film Festival. It’s nice to see her still making films and exploring themes with such grace. 4 cats“