Stella Next to Me

Soft, sweet, and calm, but maybe a bit too light.

I watched this mainly because I’m a sucker for best friends to lovers stories and TikTok sold it to me well enough to raise my expectations. I have not read the manga, so this is purely from a casual viewer perspective. I enjoyed it, but it is the kind of movie that feels nice while watching and fades from memory pretty quickly after.

I still do not fully get where the "Stella" in the title comes from, at least from the movie alone. Maybe manga readers or those who catch more of the language nuance will understand it. But for me, it did not land anywhere as a strong symbol or theme in the film itself. I'm guessing it's because stella means star if derived from Latin, but that feels a bit random and out of place.

If I had to nitpick on appearances, it would be that they do not look like high school students at all, but I got over that pretty fast. Acting was okay, though I'd say the female lead actress carried the movie all the way.

Overall, the tone is gentle, easy, and calm. Not very deep and not very layered either. It is very straightforward narratively, which makes it an easy one sitting watch. If you like best friends to lovers and very (emphasis on very) low stress romance, this might work. But if you want more emotional weight or complexity, this will probably feel too thin.

The setup is simple and very familiar. The leads are childhood best friends who are slowly growing into different worlds. The male lead, Subaru, is a rising model and actor. He is a bit aloof, but it is something I'd expect from a high school male lead lol. On the other hand, Chii, the female lead, sees herself as average in looks, ability, and presence. She acts exactly like a girl with a long-time crush, supporting him quietly and tries not to get in the way. Awkward, sincere, and sometimes a bit harsh to herself.

The story runs on that classic "you never look at me" versus "I have always looked at you" narrative. And how they set it up was pretty much predictable. The film does not build ̶a̶n̶y̶ much external conflict, so most of the tension depends on the male lead’s mixed signals. The writing relies on the classic push and pull behavior that happens in friends to lovers tropes, except I never felt the yearning that it would have supposedly fueled.

The second male lead was present, although I questioned if he was actually a second male lead. Even as a plot device, he didn't do anything to make Subaru jealous enough to spark action. He was supportive of Chii, and he was aware that he will not be even a choice. He did not overstep boundaries, does not create forced rivalry, and did not turn bitter. He was a very very chill guy lol. He even helped move the plot forward literally through his motorbike lol.

It's an okay watch, but it was closer to boring than the comforting vibe they tried to sell. I would not have chosen to see it in cinemas.

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