Recently, I decided to sit down and watch "The Half of It", a highly anticipated romantic comedy directed by Alice Wu. The film notably stars Asian adoptee, Leah Lewis, who plays Ellie Chu, a diligent student who makes income by writing other students' essays. Alongside her is Daniel Diemer, playing the slow yet lovable Paul Munsky. The two have lived in the same sleepy, conservative town for most of their lives.
The film begins by introducing Ellie's life. She follows a simple and regimented daily routine of going to school, eating dinner in front of the TV with her father, and writing her peers' essays for some cash. She is content with her life despite being mostly unnoticed or made fun of by her classmates. This all changes when the love struck jock, Paul, asks Ellie to write a love letter to his crush. At first, she is unsure about the endeavor as she has never been in love and exclusively writes essays. However, the promise of quick cash reels her in. Her decision changes her life in several dramatic ways as she forms an unlikely friendship with Paul and struggles with her own feelings for his crush.
What at first seemed like a basic, overdone love story, quickly develops into a dynamic plot about friendship, acceptance, family and sexuality. A large part of the film focuses on what romantic love is, but as it progresses, the viewer learns more about the depths of familial and platonic love. Most importantly, the film's protagonist is a queer character. The representation is impactful as the LGBTQ+ Asian community is rarely represented in media of any kind. The story was written in a delicate way that mirrors the real life complex feelings many other LGBTQ+ Asians experience. Lewis's performance effectively conveyed the confusion and beauty of a teen falling in love for the first time.
While Lewis doesn't play an adoptee herself, there are many aspects of the film I could identify with. For example, being the only Asian in a mostly Caucasian environment is a situation many transracial Asian adoptees grow up in. Additionally, she is often overlooked by her peers for her differences. I would recommend this film to all Hello Adoption readers, and of course, I can always get behind supporting fellow Asian adoptees, such as the shining Leah Lewis.
