Half of It (The)

Take an old story - Cyrano de Bergerac - and, inject it with vim and vigour! That's what Alice Wu has just done! And...we - collectively - applaud you.

The issues are [surprisingly] complex...but, the touch is light. Nothing is heavy-handed...and, beautifully, lands quite a few unexpected punches. Everything about The Half of It is carefully planned and the beauty about it is...it shows. There's a little bit of this...blossoming teen sexuality and the aftershock of grief. There's a little bit of a philosophical that...Satre & Camus: What? In a teen rom-com!?! There's putrid racism, toxic masculinity and breath-taking, indefatigable masculine gentility...Paul is a boy you would want as a friend.

It is a love story...of sorts, with a schoolboy crush and a schoolgirl's yearning...for the same girl. It does end in tears...but, are they happy or sad tears? With a fantastically deployed leitmotif...a notoriously difficult mechanism to get right...well, Alice Wu nails it...with a precision that will make you simply gasp. Here's a director who understands the 'moment' when nothing needs to be said and the picture says it all.

The Half of It is all about charm...with a razor-sharp edge. This is teen rom-com like you have never seen before. It's intelligent, it has artistry [by the bucket-load]...even the soundtrack is inspired...and, the cinematography has to be applauded.

Three stars of the future have been created...Alice Wu, Leah Lewis and Daniel Diemer. A film that really shows the true magic of film.

All we can say is...a great big...THANK YOU.

Trailer...