After the big screen successes of LGBT indie films over the past eighteen months, it was only a matter of time before these well-written and topically poignant stories hit mainstream cinemas. The tenderness and beauty of films like Moonlight and Call Me By Your Name have opened up a new avenue of inclusion for gay audiences. Finally, their internal issues of acceptance are given a voice and it’s profoundly worth rejoicing over.
It’s been a long time coming and thanks to an ambitious move from Fox, one LGBT story has finally gone big time and made it into the mainstream. Love, Simon, which is based on the YA novel, Simon Vs The Homo Sapiens Agenda from Becky Albertalli, has been crafted with such a loving, heartfelt and witty touch; but doesn’t quite hit those dramatic tones that could have established this an instantly memorable conversation but it certainly made the audience in my screening giddy in its deliverance.
The story follows’ the 17-year-old Simon (Nick Robinson), on the surface he is just like every other straight teenager much to his own hard work, but he harbours one major secret: he is gay. One day his life takes a dramatic change when on a school blog, another pupil from the school comes out without revealing their identity. It doesn’t take Simon long to reach out this anonymous person and the pair begin a secret e-romance.
It’s not all lovey-dovey nonsense, the story’s mainline is Simon’s sexuality. Simon’s obvious angst over how his peers would regale him if he came out and his complete and utter fear of no longer being accepted is a major plot point. It’s not just his peers either, with the standard tropes of having parents who were the popular kids when they attended school. His Father (Josh Duhamel) was a jock and the mother (Jennifer Garner) a cheerleader type all contribute to Simon’s anguish. It’s approached with a light airiness with fitting jokes and examples are conveyed. To prove Simon’s point, there is one sequence showing a group of kids coming out to their parents as straight and the parents having a meltdown.
Nick Robinson approaches Simon with an affectionate humanity. Simon finds himself being blackmailed after failing to set up the token nerd with one of his best friends; the end resulting in his sexuality being broadcast round the entire school. There is also an endearing quality to his portrayal as he secretly tries to determine the identity of his secret love. It forges a connection with the audience who are behind him every step of the way. The rest of the teenage cast also put in fine performances. They go through their own teenage issues as they struggle to find and characterise themselves as the people they truly are.
Whilst it may not have the rustic, rough edges of previous LGBT indies out there, Love, Simon gives the classic John Hughes high school angst movie, like The Breakfast Club or Sixteen Candles, a run for their money. Tonally, director Greg Berlanti has taken his inspiration from Hughes back catalogue. He has reinvented it for the 21st century with the candy gloss of a major studio with tender and joyous results. It gives life back to the tired old coming-of-age story that can appeal not only to gay audiences, but a majority of a much wider audience as well.
Love, Simon is out in cinemas April 6th
