#alicewu

[raventhunderbolt]

"Gravity is matter's response to loneliness."

- Alice Wu, The Half Of It

[haveyouumetme]

This is beautiful. (no pun intended)

[notexactlyrocketscience]

The Half of It (2020)

First things first: I'm in love with the aesthetic of this film.

Anyone who knows me knows I'm crazy about gloomy weather. It's beautiful: the bluish tones, the cold air, distance shrouded in heavy fog. That's the kind of weather the film is set in. The scenes are minimalistic, quiet, unrushed, effective. The soundtrack and mood has an untouchable, timeless quality to it. The ending is like a punch to the gut in slo-mo. I thought I wouldn't cry, but I did. No regrets.

If you're tired of Netflix teen dramas, then here's a Netflix teen drama for you:

Not tacky. At all. So very polished and sophisticated.

ACTUALLY realistic, as far as high school in the US goes.

Actors that look their on-screen age.

Original. Puts a twist to the clichéd love triangle.

Representation! Small town life, Asian family dynamics, immigrant life, racism, brown family life, LGBTQA+ identity.

A #OwnVoices director, Alice Wu. ‘Nough said.

A main character who's not stereotypically "pretty" (rolls eyes) and also DOESN'T get a makeover.

Religion. Discussions with depth, compassion and understanding. YES.

Love. Teen love, adult love, and building realistic expectations.

Friendship. And loyalty.

Breaking free from roles assigned by society.

Empathy, growing, learning, making mistakes, owning up to them, making amends.

The angst. Oh, the angst and heartbreak. In the best way possible. Going to bury myself in misery for the next three days. Just watch it. Thank me later. Bye.

[polarishpd]

Our Own Little Pocket Of The World (Aster x Ellie)

Summary: Sophomore Ellie Chu meets Aster Flores for the first time, not in school, not at the church...but at a coffee shop. 

Word Count: 881

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The coffee shop isn’t nearly as lucrative as penning papers for desperate teenagers, Ellie thinks, and not nearly half as easy for her. Who knew it would be more instinctive to knock out philosophy papers than make a cup of coffee? 

At least it’s calming. Steady. And she can work behind the counter. 

Squahamish doesn’t have a Starbucks, or any big brands, really, just existing in its own little pocket of the world, where all the businesses are family-run and everyone knows everyone. 

It’s kind of nice, being able to hide away like this. This particular coffee shop is one that Ellie used to frequent before Fran gave her the job, when she had a little extra cash in her pocket and the time to spare. Hardly anyone of their age comes here, really, preferring to hang about in convenience stores and slurp sugary slushies. 

Quiet. The gentle smell of dark roast permeates, wafts through the air, the rhythmic sound of the coffee grinder occasionally punctuated with the sharp shrill of the panarello. The old lady in the corner sits for hours on end, ordering a single piccolo in the whole time. A routine that Ellie’s been used to, accustomed to, desensitized to. Sure, Ellie likes stability...but this is pushing it. Months of working this job have taught her to expect repetitiveness. Never ending repetitiveness. The days all feel like one. 

Overcome with boredom, just when Ellie has just picked up a pen, rolled up her flannel’s sleeves and started to write...the little bell jangles. 

Her eyes dart upwards. 

Aster. 

Aster Flores. Aster Flores. Aster Flores. Ellie’s seen her at school, all summery brown waves, denim jackets, girlish, sweet smiles. 

One of those smiles shine on her face right now. And goodness, Ellie can’t help but stare just for a while, pretend she’s got that smile for a reason other than being the ‘coffee shop barista’. 

“Hey...uh...hi? Ellie-?” Aster leans forward, eyebrows furrowing gently.

“Hi! Sorry!” It comes out much louder than intended. Ellie wants to slap herself - and she does, mentally, hard - for getting lost in those eyes, those eyes staring so confidently right into hers-

“Ellie?”

“Ah-yep! Sorry!” Aster looks seriously confused, or baffled, or...amused? The corner of her mouth quirks up in a little smile again. "What would you like?”

“I’ve never been in here before.” Ellie knew. Ellie definitely knew. Months working here, and she’d never walked in once. 

Ellie would remember, no doubt. Remember someone like that. 

“Would you-would you like some recommendations?” Ellie asks, before she can stop herself. Aster nods almost imperceptibly. Yes. “We’ve got the basics, espressos, americanos, long blacks, or if you want something a bit sweeter we’ve got lattes, flat whites-”

“What do you drink?” Aster cuts her off. Ellie silently thanks her- she could have rambled off the whole menu, not that it was very expansive - it’s Squahamish after all. Land of simplicity. 

“Sorry?” Ellie remembers to stammer out. 

“Which one do you like?” 

Ellie has to pause to think. Most days, she knocks back the coffee for the caffeine - helps her stay up, push through her rapidly expanding side gig - but on the rare day...

“I have a mix Spices, some chocolate, a little milk...

“That sounds great.” Aster smiles again. It’s a little different this time. They’re all a little different. Ellie could give each one a ten page essay. And finally, instead of staring blankly, Ellie smiles back. 

“I’ll get to it.”

~~~

And suddenly, Ellie’s routine is turned upside down. 

Every day, right after school ends, she speeds down to the coffee shop on her bike, checks in to work with Fran, sets up her laptop behind the counter, and just five minutes later-

“Hey!”  

Aster Flores walks in. 

Sometimes, she gets a latte, on the days when homework is low and smiles are high. Aster laughs at Ellie’s attempts at ‘bold’ latte art. Other times it’s a double-shot espresso, when the workload is taller than the table and stress is through the roof. 

And most of the time, it’s Ellie’s drink. The first drink Aster ever ordered, the weird little concoction off the chalkboard menu.

It goes on like this for months. Ellie goes to work. Aster comes.

For an hour, just an hour, the shop is all theirs, in the dead hour where nobody comes and nobody goes.  At four in the afternoon, in a hidden corner of Squahamish, they just...exist, tucked away in their own little pocket of the world. Away from school, where Aster’s popular and admired, where Ellie’s quiet and alone, where they ‘don’t know each other’. 

Perhaps it’s what falling in love feels like, Ellie wonders. Questions. She finds herself thinking about Aster a lot more than she probably should. Does Aster think about her too? 

Not like her, probably.

~~~

One day, after three months of talking, bonding, and laughing, Aster doesn’t show up. For a moment, Ellie’s throat closes up, eyes start to sting...and then her phone pings. 

DiegoMendez: Hey, it’s Aster. Sorry i didn’t come today. Let me make it up to you! Are you free for dinner on Sunday? My treat!

Ellie doesn’t know how, when, from who Aster got her number, but it really, really didn’t matter. 

                                          SmithCorona is typing...

~~~

A/N: I hope you enjoyed my little impromptu ficlet! Let me know if I should continue! Reblogs, likes and comments are all much appreciated :D

[theallinsmall]

Ok now hear me out...

title of the half of it sequel...

THE BOLD STROKE

Boom.

[demilado]

Watched saving face and now I badly want a chinese girlfriend who’ll love me to pieces 😫

[stephdere]

This isn’t out yet, but I think I’m going to be a huge fan of it!! 🥰👏👏👏 “The Half of It” by Alice Wu, will be coming out this friday on Netflix, May 1st!!! Alice also wrote/directed the heartwarming “Saving Face” 👯‍♀️ Check it out! I’ll be watching friday @ 5pm if you want to join virtually! 👾 Congrats @subwayalice , can’t wait! 👏🎉🍾 . . . #sketch #thehalfofit #alicewu #leahlewis #danieldiemer @leahmlewis #netflix #fanart #sixfanarts #lgbt #loveislove #gay #teenlove #drawing #illustration #characterdesign #Savingface #artistsoninstagram #instaart #storyartist https://www.instagram.com/p/B_l1PC4DCbX/?igshid=1eskqsbtruuic

[aymmgreen]

I’M GONNA WATCH THE HALF OF IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Alice Wu here I come!!!!!!!! Asdfghjkl😻

[thismademydaynl]

Netflix heeft al veel romcoms/drama films voor tieners, daar kwam 1 mei de film The Half of Or bij. Waar de LGBTQ gemeenschap een grote rol speelt. Lees de recensie van de film op de blog www.thismademyday.nl - - - - #ondemand #movie #netflixoriginal #thehalfofit #alicewu #leahlewis #danieldiemer #review #movienight #lgbt #cinema #movieblogger #filmfan #film #thismademyday #movieaddict #bloggen #dutch #dutchblogger #thenetherlands #website #entertainment #blognl #EBlogger #wordpress #Nederlands #Nederlandseblogger #maleblogger #blogpromotion #movieblog https://www.instagram.com/p/CAIzFwyjBCy/?igshid=uug8ayvd110e

[tee-jay-666]

And she knows. . . . . . . #thehalfofit #netflix #thehalfofitnetflix #lesbian #gl #girlslove #lgbtq🌈 #leahlewis #alexxislemire #wlw #asterflores #alicewu #danieldimer https://www.instagram.com/p/B-xT3JJjf-Q/?igshid=1k9z4hzv1l09f

[thisisalicewu]

The Shape of Contentent (self-portrait as a mobile)

[chineseinamerica-blog]

11 Films & TV Series Featuring LGBTQ Chinese American Characters

In celebration of Pride Month, here are 11 films and TV series with positive representations of LGBTQ Chinese American characters. 

Post by Areerat Worawongwasu, Exhibitions Intern at the Museum of Chinese in America.

1. Saving Face (2004), directed by Alice Wu

This cute and poignant romantic comedy tells the story of Wilhelmina "Wil" Pang (Michelle Krusiec), a young Chinese American surgeon, as she deals with her unwed mother's pregnancy and the obligations of her dancer girlfriend Vivian Shing (Lynn Chen). 

2. The Wedding Banquet (1993), directed by Ang Lee

The Wedding Banquet is a family comedy about Wai-Tung Gao (Winston Chao), a gay Taiwanese immigrant man who marries a mainland Chinese woman to placate his parents and get her a green card. His plan backfires when his parents arrive in the United States to plan his wedding banquet and he has to hide who his true partner is. 

3. Eat With Me (2014), directed by David Au

This heartwarming family drama is about a young gay Chinese American man, Elliot (Teddy Chen Culver), and his estranged mother, Emma (Sharon Omi), who unexpectedly moves in with him. Together, the pair must learn to reconnect through food when words fail to save their family's Chinese restaurant from closing down.

4. When We Rise (2017), created by Dustin Lance Black

This miniseries about the American LGBTQ rights movement starting from the 20th century features Cecelia Chung (Ivory Aquino), a real-life a civil rights leader and activist for LGBT rights, and HIV/AIDS awareness. Cecilia was born in Hong Kong in 1965 and later immigrated to Los Angeles in 1984. She was the first transgender woman and first Asian person to be elected to lead the Board of Directors of the San Francisco Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Pride Celebration, and the first transgender woman as well as the first person living openly with HIV to Chair the San Francisco Human Rights Commission. In When We Rise, African American gay activist Ken Jones seeks Cecelia Chung’s help to support his church, a testament to the legacy of solidarity between LGBTQ people of color.

5. Front Cover (2015), directed by Ray Yeung

Front Cover follows the love story of Ryan (Jake Choi), a Chinese American fashion stylist in New York, and Ning (James Chen), a film star from China. Funny and poignant, it explores the intersections of Chinese Americana and mainland China as well as what it means to be a gay Chinese person.

6. White Frog (2012), directed by Quentin Lee

White Frog is a dramatic comedy that features 16-year-old Nick Young (Booboo Stewart), a neglected teen with Asperger’s syndrome whose life is changed forever when tragedy hits his family. Nick idolizes his older brother Chaz Young (Harry Shum, Jr.), while also feeling like he is living in his perfect sibling’s shadow. Chaz, however, is also dealing with his own problems as he is in the closet and afraid of coming out for fear of disappointing their parents. Together, the brothers bond in their grief and journey together towards self-acceptance.

7. Conrad Boys (2006), directed by Justin Lo

Charlie Conrad (Justin Lo), a nineteen-year-old Jewish Chinese American, is ready for college but the sudden death of his mother turns his life upside down and he is left with the adult responsibility of raising his nine-year-old brother (Booboo Stewart) while also exploring his own identity.  

8. Mr Robot (2015 - ), created by Sam Esmail 

Now on it third season, this dramatic thriller is about Elliot Alderson (Rami Malek), a cybersecurity engineer and hacker who suffers from social anxiety disorder and clinical depression. Alderson joins a group of hacktivists to erase all debts by attacking the megacorporation, E Corp. It features Whiterose (BD Wong) as the brilliant leader of the world’s most dangerous hacking collective. She is not defined by her transgender identity, but more so her intelligence and genius hacking skills.

9. Baby Steps (2015), directed by Barney Cheng

Danny, a Taiwanese American man, and his partner Tate, embark on the journey of becoming surrogate parents, but things get more complicated when Danny's well-meaning but overbearing mother wants to control every aspect of the process.

10. In The Family (2011), directed by Patrick Wang

Patrick Wang writes, directs, and stars in this poignant family drama set in Martin, Tennessee. Six-year-old Chip Hines (Sebastian Brodziak) lost his mother at birth, and his father, Cody (Trevor St. John), later enters a loving relationship with a man called Joey Williams (Patrick Wang). Tragedy strikes when Cody gets in a fatal car accident and Joey is stuck in a custody battle.

11. Underemployed (2012), created by Craig Wright

This comedy-drama follows the stories of five recent college graduates in Chicago as they navigate adulthood. The lead character, Sophia Swanson (Michelle Ang), is a young aspiring novelist and part-time doughnut shop worker who is slowly coming to terms with her sexuality.

[someonemariekondomybrain]

Paul kneading the dough with Ellie's father in his kitchen is honestly such a mood!

#thehalfofit #netflix #the half of it #alicewu #elliechu #asterflores

[gbloommx]

The Half of it / Si supieras ❤️🌈 .
.
#kenadams #TheHalfOfItNetflix #asterfloresedit #howyoudoin #ellsteredit #elliechu #alexxislemireedit #supercorp #blackmirroredit #younetflixmemes #friendstvposts #lgbt #thehalfofitmovie #deckerstarmoment #leahlewis #netflixmovies #supergirl #friendsseries #thehalfofit #thehalfofitedit #netflix #elliechuedit #thehalfofitnetflix #thefriendomliveson #friendsfansforever #asterflores #alexxislemire #alicewu #netflixseries #gbloom

[tramp963]

#TheHalfofIt, #2020s, #Trailer, #directedby #AliceWu https://buff.ly/2yNur7z #movieby #EnriqueMurciano, #BeckyAnnBaker, #LeahLewis  #comedy #romance #movies