What If I Like You?

What If I Like You? is a 2005 teen drama that centers around a girl that was new to a prestigious boarding school, and was now dealing with the student hierarchy that divided the school's students.

It was directed by Nick Moore, and is written by Karen McCullah, based on the 1992 novel; Ratchet Rachel by Christopher Pike. The film stars Lena Katina, Agathe de Laboulaye, Stephen McNally, Claire Keim, and Julia Volkova, and was released on October 19 2005.

Plot Summary

Alina Vasilevskaya (Lena Katina) had a life in her local public school where she studied for two years, but when her dad earned a big sum of money after winning a major court case, her father decided to enroll her to a boarding school.

On her first day, she befriended her new roomate; Joan (Claire Keim), who warned her about the "VIP system" that divided students based on their social class. Alina, who thought the said hierarchy was a joke, brushed it aside. Things got worse the next day when a student taunted her, and place a sticky note on her back calling her "Cheap" but things got better for the young redhead when Veronika (Julia Volkova) snapped her out of it.

A month has passed and Veronika got her VIP status, and an initiation party was set-up for her. The same night she got drunk and was taken back to her dorm room by her girlfriend Alina, but when Alina was done taking care of her, Veronika thanked her, then dumped her since Alina haven't got her VIP status. That night Alina was comforted by Joan who opened up about her VIP status, and about having one, Joan also stated that if she has a VIP status or not, she will always be on her side.

The next week Alina received a love note from a guy named Oliver Wilson (Stephen McNally). Shocked but unsure, after her break-up with Veronika, she confided to Joan, who again warned her about him because of his VIP status.

All in all Alina was dazed and confused about Oliver's intentions, but appreciated the affectionate gestures he had been showing around her. One night he snuck up to her dorm room and told Alina he loved her, and he was serious about it, but she rejected him after she heard An Inspection officer unlocking the girl's room. Oliver then proceeded to go, and as soon as he went to friends, they were disappointed to the outcome of their plan to 'let the outcasts know where their places are.'

On their English class Alina was paired off to Denise (Agathe de Laboulaye), for a book report. During which she developed a liking to her, but Denise treated her coldly and was reluctant to cooperate throughout the whole process of the report.

After a week Oliver asked Denise to befriend Alina in-order to execute his plans, in which she agreed.

Denise befriended Alina the next day, and the naïve student did not suspect a thing.

A few months has passed and Oliver decided to execute his plans. Both Denise and Oliver talked about how to execute it.

At P.E class, Alina passed out. Denise voluntarily accompanied Alina to the school clinic along with a school nurse. Denise changed her mind when she saw the scars on Alina's arms as a result of self-harm. When Alina woke up, Denise was gone, and was know taken care of by Joan.

The next week Denise opened up to Alina Oliver's plans, and her involvement. Alina, who was upset about what she heard confronted Oliver that afternoon, which resulted to her being beaten by his friends.

Two days after the incident, Alina woke up from a coma to see Denise crying, when asked why, she stated about her worries that Alina would pass away without her saying what she really feels, then admitting that she loves her. Alina rejected her, but Denise insisted that she'll wait for her until Alina would give her a chance.

At school, Alina is still recovering from her injuries, but this time she was ignored by most students. When she reached to her locker Alina saw a note, but almost threw it on a trash can nearby when she saw a heart on it, she read the note that writes "Have a nice day. I hope i made you smile... I LOVE YOU." Alina smiled, and continued to walk in a school corridor alone.

Cast

• Lena Katina as Alina Vasilevskaya
• Konstantin Khabensky as Ivan Vasilievsky (Alina's Father)
• Claire Keim as Joan Baribeau
• Julia Volkova as Veronika Belyaeva
• Sergey Lazarev as Danilo Kuznetsov
• Vlad Topalov as Anton Turnegev
• Dima Bilan as Aleksandr (Alexey) Smirnov
• Stephen McNally as Oliver Wilson
• Christian Burns as Nick Speel
• Jake Gyllenhaal as Albert McNeilan
• James Franco as Drew Loughlin
• Louise Lemoine Torres as Ms. Donna Leer
• Agathe de Laboulaye as Denise Aurand
• Mark Barry as Caleb Kelsey

Sequel

In 2007 Nick Moore announced that he and his team were working on a continuation for the movie; What If I Still Love You?, however after a scheduling conflict, Moore was replaced by Swedish director Lukas Moodysson. The film was then released on November 16, 2008.

Reception

What If I Like You? received both negative and positive with reviews from critics. Peter Bradshaw from The Guardian said "The lack of a depth storytelling was this movie's disadvantage. But despite with it's vagueness, it adds an extra depth into Alina's point of view on the people she meets in a different setting."

Soundtrack

Title	Lyrics and Music	Artist	Length
Behind These Hazel Eyes	Kelly Clarkson Max Martin Luke Gottwald	Kelly Clarkson	3:19
I'm Like a Bird	Nell Furtado	Nelly Furtado	4:03
Boulevard of Broken Dreams	Billie Joe Armstrong Mike Dirnt Tré Cool	Green Day	4:20
No Scrubs	Kevin "She'kspere" Briggs Kandi Burruss Tameka Cottle Lisa Lopes	TLC	3:39
I'm Not Okay	My Chemical Romance	My Chemical Romance	3:08
Smells Like Teens Spirit	Kurt Cobain Krist Novoselic Dave Grohl	Nirvana	5:01