Friday, February 28, 2020

Romancefest 2020: To All the Boys I've Loved Before


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Written by Sofia Alvarez, based on the novel by Jenny Han. Directed by Susan Johnson. Starring Lana Codor, Noah Centineo, Janel Parrish and Anna Catchart. USA, 2018.

A quiet teenage girl’s high school love life is turned upside down when secret letters she wrote to all of her crushes over the years actually get mailed to the crushes and out her feelings. Soon she finds herself in her first real relationship, and struggles to reconcile being a girlfriend with the rest of her identity.

This is one where the premise only exists to kick start the otherwise conventional story, but the thing that makes it work is the central performances, specifically the young lead, Lana Condor, who is so likable you’d follow her basically anywhere. All of the young people in the cast rise to the occasion and elevate the material, as does the elements of the main character’s Korean-American upbringing, giving just enough of a unique take to spice up what could have otherwise been a bland teen rom-com.

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