Love Simon, a newly released film in 2018, highlights one of the current social issues: LGBTQ lives.
Love, Simon, is based on the novel written by Becky Albertalli. It was rewritten into a film directed by Greg Berlanti, and came to theaters in mid-March. The story tells the narrative of a homosexual teenager looking to accept himself, all in the midst of beginning a new online romance with one of his unidentified peers. Simon [played by Nick Robinson], the main character, goes through a rollercoaster of emotions while trying to reveal to his family and friends about his true sexuality. The story itself focuses more on capturing the struggles in hiding one’s sexual identity, rather than a portraying a stereotypical gay romance. Through this, Simon is portrayed as a common teenager. He has a small group of friends, average grades, and a phone. In the film, he is often referred to as, “Silent Si,” because he doesn’t talk much, but when he does, it is usually uplifting advice toward a friend.
The film served as an accurate representation of what it’s like to come out to the world. It reached out to many teens struggling with the same problems that Simon had: accepting oneself, figuring out an appropriate time to reveal one’s sexual identity, and dodging any hateful comments that could come along with the secret. It is a hefty task for one person to take on, along with dealing with one’s social life and outside responsibilities. The process is both emotionally and habitually draining. This is a current issue that has often been overlooked in the past, but is now becoming a hot topic in discussion and debates.
Simon also discusses in the film how after coming out, life doesn’t necessarily get better immediately. Sure, it is relieving to be truthful with oneself, but adapting to be someone that has always been suppressed can be rather difficult.
Overall, Love, Simon stood as a good reminder to people to try to be mindful of others at all times. It is difficult to be certain of what many friends and family might be going through on their own, therefore showing compassion and being understanding is completely necessary. The film also stood as an educational tool to those that aren’t aware about the lives of LGBTQ people.