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Partners
WHAT IT'S ABOUT:
Everyone deserves a great love story. But, for seventeen-year old Simon Spier, it’s a little more complicated: He’s yet to tell his family or friends he’s gay, and he doesn’t actually know the identity of the anonymous classmate he’s fallen for online. Resolving both issues proves hilarious, terrifying and life-changing.
WHAT WE THOUGHT:
Everyone deserves a great love story.
That’s one of the most important themes that emerge from the teen comedy-drama Love, Simon. It seems so simple, doesn’t it? Yet, for many gay teens it’s the most terrifying time of their lives.
The simple act of loving someone is buried underneath a dark cloud of fear and angst.
Revealing that they love someone of the same sex could have devastating consequences, simply because there are people - who to this day - believe that being gay is a sin.
When you break it down like that, the absurdness of homophobia is revealed. How on earth can it be okay for one person to tell another who they can love…and how they can love?
This is the battle that 17-year-old Simon has to face. The worst part? He has to face it alone. There’s nobody he can tell. Do you know what happens when you constantly have to live with a secret that you can’t talk to anyone about? It starts to devour you from the inside.
Simon puts himself through a lot of personal torture and pain due to pressure from certain parts of society that wave around their moral baton. He’ll do anything to keep his secret safe – even if it means hurting his best friends.
Simon’s story is the story of many gay teens and it’s finally openly getting told on the big screen.
The film is definitely not flawless. It has its mistakes. But it serves a greater purpose. It’s telling a story that very few films are willing to tell in mainstream cinema. Most gay themed films get art house releases where a smaller, niche audience gets to view it.
But Love, Simon will be playing off on cinema’s main stage. This is an important step because it makes the film accessible to a larger audience where more people can see that a love story is a love story.
Yes, the plot of the film reads like any other high school teen flick, with the only difference being that it’s attractive, young male lead is attracted to another guy and not a girl. For some this generic storyline might be seen as a flaw, but for others it is long-awaited recognition that their love stories are just the same as everyone else’s.
But it’s baby steps. Simon’s story is told from a white, male perspective. His is only one voice in a choir of different races, genders and sexual orientations that desperately need representation in mainstream cinema. We have to keep moving forward. This is just the first step. Of course it doesn’t lessen the importance of Simon’s story being told.
I couldn’t help but think how much easier my own coming out journey would have been if a film like this existed when I was younger. I hope that teens watching Love, Simon know that they aren’t alone. Love who you want to love, don’t let anyone tell you any different. You deserve your own great love story.
