Film Diary: The Half of It
“In case you haven’t guessed, this is not a love story. At least not one where anyone gets what they want.”
Just 10 minutes into the 2020 coming-of-age film The Half of It (2020), director Alice Wu already gives away the ending. This isn’t a love story, and the characters don’t get what they want. But this doesn’t make the film pointless, nor does it mean the story isn’t filled with love.
After so many movies revolving around grand gestures of romantic love, this film felt like a breath of fresh air, and an important reminder—love can manifest subtly, too..
Ellie Chu, part of the only Asian immigrant family in the fictional small town Squahamish, doesn’t fit in or even try to. She lives a quiet life alone with her widowed dad, writing papers for people in her high school for money. She is approached by class jock Paul, who asks Ellie to write a love letter to his crush, Aster, for money.
Though initially apprehensive, Ellie finally agrees to write Paul’s love letter, and in the process, develops an intimate bond with Aster through Paul’s letters, and an unexpected friendship with Paul
Though the premise begins as a love story between Paul and Aster, the film slowly reveals to be more about Ellie and Paul’s friendship. Their friendship unfolds subtly and beautifully and puts in the spotlight the rarely represented male-female friendship.
In both media and in real life, friendships between girls and guys are often thought of as a transient state to reach the ultimate goal of romance. Nothing but an intermediate before they ultimately fall in love, or in the case of unrequited love, one falls heartbroken.
But Wu is able to weave together this friendship, this genuine companionship between a girl and a guy.
Some of my best friends throughout my life have been guys, and it always annoyed me when people assumed there were deeper feelings involved. I began to doubt the validity of my friendships; did they all involve some kind of secret romantic tension?
Ellie and Paul’s friendship depicts a bond that rises above that. Having crushes, going on dates, and freaking out over who likes who can all be fun, but lately, I’ve been tired of the way romance dominates the conversation.
Friendships, the ones that remain through it all, have held significantly more value to me, especially so early in my college career. The Half of It feels like it echoes these same values. The audience watches as Ellie slowly gets more comfortable with Paul, finally letting someone into her life to stay, and in the process we begin to see her confidence blossom.
A common critique of the film is that the ending is inconclusive. There was no grand resolution, no inherently happy or sad ending. The characters all just kind of move on with their lives, as if the whole thing didn’t just happen. In some ways, the film ends where it began, with each character on their own separate path.
But to me, this is the best part. In life, rarely is there a grand conclusion, a final resolution with all the strings tied up. Usually, life just goes on. You meet people, go places, things happen, and then you leave places, leave people, and life proceeds without closure. But does that mean what happened didn’t have meaning?
I’ve often wondered this myself, but The Half of It has shown me my answer. Meaning is found in the people, the relationships, the growth. The in-between holds value, not just the ending.
The beauty of this film is the love we know will persist. The friendship between Ellie and Paul, the love between Ellie and Aster. The growth they had as characters throughout the film will last. The film isn’t a love story, at least not one where anyone gets what they want. But it doesn’t need to be.
