like it’s not just the imagery of the hot springs reflection cinematography that says plato was wrong and soulmates aren’t it… that’s the ENTIRE point of the opening voiceover…… like the intro is ellie spouting bullshit in philosophy essays that she’s mindlessly writing for money, quoting dead men whose words she doesn’t really believe because she doesn’t know what to say with her own voice yet. and when she does find her own voice, she says love is messy and horrible and selfish and bold. love is not about finding your other half and coming together in an unspoken understanding; the understanding is explicitly SPOKEN. the whole movie is about seeing and understanding through words and actions, it’s about putting in the effort to love someone, it’s about being whole and happy as an individual human being and not endlessly longing in misery for your other half oh my god