'The Half Of It' Movie Review

Introduction

You only ever know half the truth. High-school student, Ellie Chu, appears as a shy girl who makes money by writing papers for other students. However, on the inside Ellie is deep, with creative interests and desires beyond the limits of her small town. With the unintentional help of a friend, Ellie learns to express her feelings, making her a whole.

Key themes

Paul asks Ellie, who runs a paper-writing business, to write a love letter for him, Ellie declines.

Ellie discovers that if she does not pay $50 minimum of her overdue bill, her electricity will be terminated at home, so she accepts Paul's offer and charges him $50.

Aster responds to Paul's letter and Ellie agrees to help Paul score a date with Aster. Aster and Paul continue to exchange letters.

Aster and 'Paul', who in reality is Ellie, become heavily involved with one another and they communicate frequently.

Paul eventually becomes frustrated with Ellie for 'taking too long' to get him a date with Aster. Paul impulsively texts Aster and successfully she agrees to meet with him.

Paul is very awkward during the date as he doesn't have a personal connection to Aster.

Scared that he blew it, Aster messages Paul. Ellie works with Paul to make sure the second date goes way better than the first.

Ellie and Paul spend a lot of time together and an unlikely friendship sprouts.

Paul goes on his second date with Aster, it starts off badly. Ellie intervenes and gets wrapped up in talking to Aster, as 'Paul'.

Paul gets tired of being left out of the conversation and speaks out for himself, during the date. He has a genuine conversation with Aster and for once, uses his own words.

Ellie goes to a party with Paul, gets drunk, so Paul takes her to his house. When she wakes up, Paul is gone and bumps into Aster who has come to visit Paul.

Aster and Ellie get talking, Ellie being an awkward wing-man for Paul. As Ellie leaves, Aster asks to go with her. Ellie takes Aster to the train station, where she works, and Aster asks to take Ellie somewhere else.

Aster takes Ellie to her favourite spot. Aster and Ellie get into the water at the special location. They talk and share deep feelings.

Aster and Ellie spend the whole day together. Aster then meets up with Paul and they kiss.

Paul invites Aster to his football game, as well as Ellie. After the game, Paul attempts to kiss Ellie, thinking that she likes him and that she is the reason for him scoring a goal.

Ellie pushes Paul away and Paul discovers that Ellie likes Aster. Aster witnesses Paul almost kiss Ellie and walks away. Paul responds to Ellie saying she is "going to hell" for being gay.

Trig shows up at the train station convinced that Ellie likes him. She agrees and Ellie's father chases him away.

At the church, in front of the whole congregation, Trig 'takes Aster to wife'. During this, Ellie and Paul shockingly speak out about their own definitions of love.

In a disguised manner, Paul says how he will continue to love Ellie, even if she is gay and Ellie admits that she is in love with Aster and was behind all the letters. Aster becomes upset, slaps Paul and walks out.

After some time, Ellie apologises to Aster. Aster admits that she always had a feeling and she wonders how things would be if she were 'different'. Ellie kisses Aster.

As Ellie waits for the train taking her to college, Paul waits with her, gives her food and expresses his determination to open his own shop and keep cooking, whilst taking care of Ellie's father. Paul 'romantically' chases after the train.

Key observations

• Why did Paul and Ellie meet up in the church? Why was the church their meeting place? Why not school?
• Why does Paul always run to catch up with Ellie when he has a pick-up truck? Why doesn't he drive?
• What is the significance of religion, God, church, belief and faith in this film?
• Does Paul live near Ellie? Is his workplace near Ellie's home? How is Paul always able to see her from her window?
• Paul is a football jock and has a part-time job. Why does he have so much free time to meet up with Ellie to discuss the letters, especially after school?
• For a football jock, Paul doesn't seem very popular or to have many friends. He is always seen walking alone, or with his new friend Ellie.
• How do the Chu's survive? Is Ellie the breadwinner?
• When Paul made 'Sausage Tacos', he took them out hot and fresh from the oven and handed them to Ellie and her father. They took and ate it happily. Surely, the tacos would have been too hot to eat, if they just came from the oven?
• Ellie's father seems very comfortable with Paul coming over to their house. Ellie doesn't have friends, so it is unusual to have a friend visit her home, talk-less of a male visiting her home. Very unusual that a father would be comfortable with this.
• Why is Ellie so unpopular and unknown? She hasn't done anything wrong and she helps people with their homework, so why does she have no friends? Why does no-one know her name?
• When Aster arrived from her trip and came to give Paul a painting, when she did not find him, why did she not look for him or call him?
• Why was Paul spending time with Ellie's father instead of looking or checking up on Ellie, especially as she had a hangover?
• Why did Trig think Ellie liked him and why did he visit her, at her home, to tell her what he thinks? Does he like her too?
• Why is Aster concerned with marriage? Why does she have to marry Trig?
• What was the significance of the teacher? Was she Ellie's friend or ally? What purpose did her role bring?
• Ellie goes to visit a college. What happened to school? Is high-school over?
• How did the Chu's survive financially without Ellie making money from writing papers?
• Is Ellie going away to college? She said she will see Aster in 'four years' and had a long goodbye with Paul. However, Ellie's father said that he was making food enough for 'six days' and encouraged her to go. So was Ellie going away to college or just visiting?
• What happened to Paul's feelings for Aster? Did Paul actually start liking Ellie?

Conclusion

The film is no generic love story. There are few clichés, but surprisingly no cliché ending. The film speaks about love, but we learn it relates on different types of love i.e. friendship and homosexuality. The ending is unusual as no one gets the girl. But that is not the only thing confusing about the film. The story line involves and questions religion. This seemed very much unnecessary and didn't have any significance to the film. There may have been an indirect criticism of religion for 'shaming' those in the LGBTQ+ community, however, it didn't prove or add value to the film. It was not religion stopping Ellie from being who she is, but her own self. The story seem to mix many themes together and annoyingly forgot to tie up the loose ends. Did Paul like Ellie? What happened to Aster? Did she get engaged to Trig? I commend the film for presenting an unlikely love story, however, there is always an element of 'movie magic'. There is no way Aster could have been convinced that Paul was behind the letters and 'romance', so the main story line is based on a cliché and intense fantasy. All in all, we only ever show half the truth as humans, but

"Love is simply the name of the desire and pursuit of the whole" - Plato, The Symposium

We all need love, any pure and good type, to make us complete.

Cast

Leah Lewis - Ellie Chu

Daniel Diemer - Paul Munsky

Alexxis Lemire - Aster Flores