The author of this article is @Ghost Foot Seven of the Xiaowan family
The only thing movie does is to make life more interesting than movies
What is the most "politically correct" subject in Hollywood today?
Women, ethnic minorities, LGBT, of course, there is nothing wrong with this, but the problem is that in the endless types of such subjects, chinese are rarely seen.
In the Hollywood system, the absence of Chinese Americans seems to be "taken for granted."
Until we saw this new film, "True Heart Half Solution".
The story of this new Netflix film is very simple: a Chinese girl who grew up in the United States and gradually realizes her feelings and orientation during adolescence.
It doesn't sound like a big deal, such a story Hollywood can produce a lot every year, but the high score of 8.1 points on Douban shows that this film is far from simple, and even for Chinese Americans, "True Heart Half Solution" is more important.
In the end why, listen to Xiao Wan to talk about it.
Years ago, Ang Lee's masterpiece "Brokeback Mountain" ushered in the oscars the first Chinese best director, and also allowed Chinese directors to establish a connection with the LGBT community in such a mainstream way for the first time.
Still, Brokeback Mountain is a love story that takes place among western cowboys.
To "True Heart Half Solution", director Wu Siwei went further, and finally put a Chinese in the position of the protagonist, female, Chinese, LGBT, finally integrated, in this sense, "True Heart Half Solution" did go further.
Of course, "politically correct" gimmicks alone are not enough to make a good film, and the story of "True Heart Half-Solution" is still a relaxed and natural youth growth process after removing these complicated labels.
The film begins with Paul, a member of the humble football team, asking Ellie, a Chinese girl, to help him write a love letter to his unrequited love partner, the goddess Esther.
One is a school flower-level beauty, one is a simple big boy with developed limbs, and there is a school bully "Ugly Duckling" with a sense of existence that is almost zero, and a subtle and complex connection is established between the three people.
Ellie's love letter touched Esther's heart, but Esther did not know that the "he" she was dating was not the "she" who wrote the letter, which is a classic love drama routine, but "True Heart Half Solution" has played a new variant under this routine.
As the communication increases, the "camaraderie" between Paul and Ellie begins to change slightly, and Esther's unexpected acquaintance with Ellie also makes the two girls have a wonderful reaction.
Between adolescent boys and girls, while carefully testing their own love prospects, they also constantly peek into their own true feelings.
"True Heart Half Solution" is a romance film, but unlike most LGBT-themed stories that focus on love itself, the film devotes considerable space to describing "non-LGBT" friendships and family feelings.
Whether it is Paul's clumsy pursuit of Esther, the change of his feelings for Ellie, or the relationship between Ellie and her father, it all has a weight that cannot be ignored in the film.
Feelings between the same sex and feelings between the opposite sex are equally important for "True Half Solution", the director neither favors one over the other, nor deliberately compares, friendship is not only a foil and "assist" of love, and heterosexual feelings are no longer the detour before the awakening of LGBT.
At the end of the film, Ellie moves with her father to another city, and she and Esther agree to reunite a few years later, and they also become friends with Paul.
Perhaps this is the most valuable thing about "love", it makes us believe in the future, makes us full of hope, and makes us learn to be tolerant.
From another point of view, "True Heart Half Solution" is also a youth film, which contains the classic elements of youth films: campus, emotional excitement, love letters, confessions, and learning how to get along with the world.
As a Chinese, Ellie is surrounded by a white society, taking care of her father who is at a low point because of her frustration at work, and hiding the trauma of losing her mother in her heart, and her loneliness and helplessness can only be alleviated by reading and thinking at first.
Growing up does not only mean having the courage to face the world, but also means being honest with yourself, feelings may only be one of the aspects, and in Ellie, there are more problems that she needs to learn to face and deal with.
As a youth film, "True Heart Half Solution" cannot solve more problems, but through a love story full of warmth and understanding, it is enough to give Ellie the strength to face the future.
This is the greatest value of "True Half Solution", it is not intended to shout for the LGBT community, nor is it to put the confusion of youth and the pain of growth on the table, nor does it create gimmicks with Asian characters and identities, it simply shows the story of how a girl is redeemed by the feelings of the people around her in front of the audience.
Man is a complex creature, and human feelings are perhaps one of the most complex things in the world.
The love between the aliens is love, the attraction between the same sex is also love, the agreement between friends is love, the entanglement between lovers is also love, the nostalgia for the mother is love, the father's wordless silence is also love, running to the future with hope is love, and the farewell of love is also love.
The film ends with an old but timeless theme: what is love?
Ellie expresses her understanding in the climax of the film, love is courage.
The courage to say love, the courage to wait for love, the courage to persevere, the courage to give up, and the courage not to hide oneself.
For LGBT people who are still fighting for their rights, this courage is the most important thing;
For the Chinese community, who are still trying to gain a voice, this courage is also the most important thing.
Note: Some of the pictures in this article come from Douban and the Internet, if there is infringement, please take the initiative to contact us.