The trailer made our mouths water… it's finally available on Netflix. If You Knew…, originally titled The half of it, is an American romantic comedy film directed by Alice Wu. Addressing several themes such as love, courage, disappointment, audacity and self-search, If you knew… is a colorful and emotional film. Ellie, a smart and shy girl, agrees to help Paul seduce the girl of his dreams. Clumsy with his words and a member of the high school football team, Paul is desperate to seduce Aster, the girlfriend of the team captain.
When words fail
Ellie is an intellectual. We will quickly understand, the film is filled with quotes of all kinds, with love as the main theme. One of the first (and one of the most significant) is by Oscar Wilde, the famous Irish writer known for his many quotes.
"In love, one always starts by deceiving oneself… and ends by deceiving others. That is what the world calls a romance." Oscar Wilde
What changes the romantic comedies we are used to seeing here is the vision of love. Alice Wu wanted to show that love is not only a man and a woman, but above all an alchemy between two human beings. What makes the film enjoyable to watch is the sincerity with which the director approaches feelings, emotions, love. From laughter to tears, If you knew… makes us go through various emotions, reminding us how hard love can be, but also how beautiful it can be. 
One phrase recurs several times throughout the film, which is "Love is selfish". With this sentence, Alice Wu tries to translate the difficulty that some have to understand that no, love cannot be controlled. It hurts, sometimes it destroys everything in its path, but it does not control itself. Hurting those who held it, hurting us too. But most of the time, learning to get over these wounds and disappointments opens the door to something beautiful.
In search of love but especially of oneself
In high school, most teenagers are looking for true love. But more importantly, they are on a quest for themselves. Discover what they want to do with their lives, who they love, who they are. Learn to love yourself, to accept your differences, your defects. And as everyone knows, it's not always easy. If you knew… is the perfect picture of doubts and uncertainties that a teenager may encounter at this time. Alice Wu was able to brilliantly paint the portraits of young people lost and torn between an infinite number of possibilities available to them. 
If you knew, it's also family. Showing the importance of the family environment and communication in self-development, this feature film knows how to find the words to touch us. Little reminders, references, all those little details that we get attached to and that make us laugh, or cry. Love is selfish, love is sometimes one-sided. Love surprises, love hurts. But love is brave. If you knew…, this is the film that pushes us to be ourselves, not to be afraid to show the world who we really are. It is the film that gives us the courage to speak the words that stand in our way. Released this Friday on Netflix, this romantic comedy will give you a smile and maybe who knows, the courage to pronounce words left in the shadows?
Trailer If you knew…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B-yhF7IScUE&t=6s
