Nur die halbe Geschichte (2020)

Nur die halbe Geschichte: Directed by Alice Wu. With Leah Lewis, Daniel Diemer, Alexxis Lemire, Wolfgang Novogratz. When smart but cash-strapped teen Ellie Chu agrees to write a love letter for a jock, she doesn’t expect to become his friend – or fall for his crush.

“The Half of It is certainly a beautiful story about love, friendship and longing. It is a very relatable story about the process of discovering love and what comes with it. The acting is splendid and writer/director Alice Wu is very assertive in both capacities.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eThe story follows Ellie Chu (Leah Lewis), a shy and introverted, straight u0026quot;Au0026quot; student, in her senior year, helping a friend, Paul, to capture the attention of the girl of his dreams, Aster. Initially, Ellie writes just one letter, but the story evolves into an exchange of text messages before their first date. During the journey, the characters discover the truth of the stress and challenges of courtship.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eThe film starts with a beautiful, artsy animation and excellent voice over work, guiding us into the mysteries of love at a very young age. The Half of It is a very well narrated story, keeping you intrigued, making you wanting to know more about the characters and how they will end up. The editing and music are very interconnected and they work in perfect harmony, turning into amazing storytelling.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eI enjoyed the acting and the honesty of Leah Lewisu0026#39; portrayal of a very timid, but determined girl. I love Paul naiveté and his struggle to communicate and show his emotions and how his innocence contrasts with Ellieu0026#39;s intelligence. Despite their differences they become friends, which is one of my favorite aspects of the film. I also love Collin Chou who plays Ellieu0026#39;s dad. He barely speaks English but heu0026#39;s really funny. He portrays a very loving and kind man and wants whatu0026#39;s best for his daughter. Ellieu0026#39;s Dad loves classic films and, throughout the movie, there are several references to art in different disciplines like painting and poetry. This makes the film feel very grounded. u0026quot;The Best Part,u0026quot; as Ellieu0026#39;s Dad refers when interrupted when watching his cinema classics, is when Ellie and Aster are in a secret lake and just talking. The scene itself is beautiful and the acting feels so natural. I love how this scene is shot and found it really relaxing.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eThe Half of It is not the typical high school movie, because in almost every high school movie there is a popular girl, a shy nerdy girl with lots of clichés and no substance. But in this movie the characters are real, current and deep.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eThe message of this film is u0026quot;be the best version of you.u0026quot; Ellie used to be an artist and one of the things she learns is that u0026quot;you can have a good painting, but to make it a great one you need to make a bold stroke.u0026quot; I think what she means by u0026quot;bold strokeu0026quot; is the best version that you can possibly be of yourself. Also we hear that u0026quot;love is the journey we pursue with determination.u0026quot;u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eThis film is wonderful! I could watch it a million times and still be entertained. I give The Half of It 5 out of 5 stars and recommended it for ages 12 to 18.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eReviewed by Zoe C., KIDS FIRST! Film Critics. For more reviews by youth, visit kidsfirst dot org.”