At first glance, this seemed to be a cute teen romance about a young who, after a series of events, expressed her love and adoration for the girl of her dreams. While the film is about that, it is also a deeply resonant tale of the friendships that help shape who we are meant to be.
The Half of It is a beautifully moulded and gentle film that’s about friendship as much as it is about romance. It’s a love triangle where all three sides doubt themselves and are nowhere near the people they want to be and, most importantly, one where all the protagonists are completely likeable.
The relationship between Lewis and Daniel Diemer was my favourite aspect in this. There are some really delightful scenes between the two of them, genuine affection that grows steadily instead of through grandstanding emotional jumps and pitfalls. It also doesn’t push Lewis’ familial background to the fore as something that defines her, but rather something that is a part of her. There’s a big difference between these two, and Wu identifies that early on. She plays it correctly in not overdosing on scenes between Lewis and Alexxis Lemire. After all, their connection is being built via a screen and their on-screen interactions should be kept to a minimum to make them more impactful. Plus there’s a lot to be said for an emotionally ambiguous ending and a film where revelations of sexuality are not actually the centrepiece of the story. The people are, how they communicate and grow to love each other.
Film In View 