The Half of It
Ellie Chu (Leah Lewis) is bright, perceptive, and pretty much on her own in THE HALF OF IT. Her small-town high school has its share of jocks, cool kids, nerds, and artsy types, but Ellie doesn't hang with any group. She feels isolated and responsible for her dad. A widowed Chinese immigrant with a Ph.D., Dr. Chu (Collin Chou) struggles to move on after his wife's death and is barely earning a living as a train switch operator. To earn extra money, Ellie secretly writes school papers for other kids. Enter Paul Munsky (Daniel Diemer). "Munsky" is aware of Ellie's writing enterprise and approaches her: He'll give her $50 if Ellie will write one letter in his name to Aster Flores (Alexxis Lemire), the popular girl he's in love with from afar. Reluctantly, Ellie agrees. What makes the prospect so hard, however, is that though she's never acknowledged it to others, Ellie is definitely attracted to Aster, too. Complications ensue and what begins as a one-time, money-making proposition becomes a poignant and funny adventure in growing up for Ellie, Paul, and Aster.
Starring
Leah Lewis, Daniel Diemer, Alexxis Lemire
Director
Alice Wu