Paper Heart directed by Nicholas Jasenovec

• Plot summary: Paper Heart is about the journey Charlyne Yi makes across America in search of the meaning of love. Along the way, she interviews the public about their thoughts on love, what it means to be in love, the things you do when you're in love, etc. She is curious because she has never been in love herself. Along the way, Charlyne finds herself interested in Michael Cera, who is friends with the director of the movie. She enjoys their time together, but cannot commit herself to the idea that what they share is love. Will Charlyne ever be able to overcome her expectations of what love is and find it for herself?
• Critical evaluation: It's never quite clear if the infatuation between Charlyne and Michael is created for the sake of the movie or if it is true to real life. Since the term "documentary" is used loosely in relation to this film, the audience never quite knows if Charlyne's behavior toward Michael are the stuff of film scripts or how she is actually feeling. The fact that the genre is so undefined makes it possible for the audience to decide what they want the situation to be and I think this could appeal to a lot of people who like to visualize the story for themselves, rather than just be told every detail of the story so nothing is left up to imagination.
• Reader's annotation: Charlyne Yi has never been in love, but she'll drive across the country to find out what it is.
• About the director: Nicholas Jasenovec has previously worked on Sounds Good to Me: Remastering the Sting.
• Genre: Comedy/Drama/Romance
• Curriculum ties, if any: None
• Reading level/interest age: This film is rated PG-13, but I think even younger people might enjoy this film.
• Challenge issues: None.
• Why was this item included? I was one of the only adults in the theater to see this movie in a sea of teenagers.