Philia

An imitation of Danez Smith’s “Dinosaurs in the Hood”

Let's make a movie called Philia

Ten Things I Hate About You meets Never Been Kissed meets She’s All That.

There should be a scene where a nerdy boy meets that one popular girl;

they bond through experiencing the highs and lows together, then

platonically ask each other out to prom, because there has to be a prom.

Not anyone can direct this. In their version, the girl is a bully;

she treats the boy terribly, and despite that, he treats her like a goddess,

a princess, a crush. I don't want there to be crushes;

just squishes. I want a scene

where audience members anticipate that they’ll lean in for a kiss, and instead

they embrace each other in a warm hug. I want a scene

where one has a test to study for and the other comes through the front door,

not some side balcony, to help them pass it. I want a scene

where they stand together in the pouring rain rain and one holds up an umbrella, smiling,

just for the sake of keeping the other dry.

Don't let Noah Centineo be in this movie. I don't want your swoons or sighs, or a soundtrack

full of love-songs. This movie is about a wholesome friendship—

it shouldn't be adulterated by a cheesy fictional romance. I don't want

a toxic relationship, be it from some party or after school event. I want characters

who support each other. I want characters

who healthily approach and address their feelings, but may not have the same ones

in the front of their minds as all the other teens portrayed in this over-sexualized society do.

This movie shouldn't be a vessel for fans shipping characters. I don't want

a prom queen or a prom king. I want

the girl who still has her shin guards on from soccer practice to be able to reflect on the love she has for her hobby, for that one boy who scoops up worms on crisp autumn leaves to reflect on his love of nature, for the football players not to chase after cheerleaders, but to appreciate the love between them as a team. I want

the girl with the glasses that slide down her nose to appreciate her love for words, the kids who snuck out early to watch Netflix to appreciate their love of different fandoms, the boy who stayed at home to look after his grandmother to feel familial love, and love that's gone but not forgotten for his grandfather, too. I want

the girl with the golden retriever lock screen to experience canine love, and the kid who bites their fingernails out of diffidence to know self-love,

at least at some point.

There are so many forms of love we experience daily that don't get

emphasized—not the way romantic love does. But

this can't be a romance movie. This can’t be a romance movie.

This can't be another romance movie.

Do people still watch coms without the rom? Action movies without a romance subplot? Horror films where returning to safety isn't returning to the arms of some partner?

I don't care what this movie is, besides, I only want to make this for the promposal anyway: just two friends who care for each other, whose relationship is not building to something “more”, and

whose love really can't get much stronger—

because platonic love is still love.

Anonymous

Poetry