The Half of It

(2020, 1hr 44m)

 Gifted but shy high school senior Ellie agrees, for a price, to help her sweet but tongue-tied and clueless jock classmate Paul win the affection of a popular classmate in their school, Aster, by composing letters to her and signing them “Paul.”

            Paul’s undaunted persistence, despite embarrassing setbacks, eventually wins over Ellie.  She becomes nearly as dedicated as Paul to the Aster project.  But Ellie has a secret:  she has discovered during the course of writing love letters to Aster on Paul’s behalf that she too has feelings for Aster.

            Yes, it’s a modern/lesbian version of the Cyrano de Bergerac story.  But the three main characters in the film are so charming, it’s impossible to not want both Paul and Ellie to win Aster’s heart.

            There are more surprises and depth to this story, and a believable and satisfying “resolution” that one might not expect. 

            “The Half of It” was written and directed by Alice Wu, who grew up in the Bay Area.  Her first film was “Saving Face.”