Genre: Drama/ Comedy
Runtime: 110 minutes
Year: 2018
Starring: Nick Robinson, Jennifer Garner, Josh Duhamel, Katherine Langford, Alexandra Shipp, Logan Miller, Keiynan Lonsdale, Jorge Lendeborg Jr., Talitha Eliana Bateman, Tony Hale, Natasha Rothwell, Miles Heizer, Joey Pollari, Clark Moore, Drew Starkey, Mackenzie Lintz, Cassady McClincy, Alex Sgambati, Jamila Thompson, Emily Jordan, Patrick Donohue
Description: Simon Spier (Nick Robinson) keeps a huge secret from his family, his friends and all of his classmates: he's gay. When that secret is threatened, Simon must face everyone and come to terms with his identity.
Review: Filmmakers often struggle with the portrayal of gay characters. They mostly fall into two categories: the funny sidekick that we don’t take too seriously or the man or woman that struggles with his or her sexuality.
Luckily that is slowly changing. It’s a breath of fresh air to see a gay character for whom it’s not an issue who he likes. Simon is mostly blocking his own path. He is close with his parents, he loves his sister and he has a strong bond with his group of friends.
Like Simon states in his voice-over: he is a normal guy, with a secret. Simon knows for a while now that he likes boys. When he discovers on social media, that there is another gay boy in his school, Simon decides to e-mail him anonymously.
“Love, Simon” starts as a standard teen drama, but it’s so much more than that. The guy Simon is e-mailing with, he calls himself Blue, gives him more confidence about his true identity. But when classmate Martin finds his e-mails, he starts to blackmail Simon. And it’s not that he is ashamed of being gay. That not the reason why he doesn’t want Martin to spill the secret to the entire school. It’s his thing and he wants to tell his loved ones when he thinks it’s the perfect time. Because Simon knows that everyone will be okay with it. But he also knows that everything will change when he tells his friends and family, and he simply doesn’t want things to change.
What makes this film so special is that it stays away from the many clichés that this genre normalyl brings. Gay people are often portrayed in a very stereotypical way, but this film shows that homosexuality comes in many forms. There is another boy in Simon’s school that’s gay. He is very extravagant and very different from Simon. But they have one big thing in common. And this movie never mocks it. Everyone can be themselves, as long as you let yourself.
Director Greg Berlanti didn’t turn “Love, Simon” into a sentimental or melodramatic coming-out story. Simon is someone everyone can relate to, just as a lot of other characters in this film. It’s an honest and heartfelt story. Berlanti manages to bring Simon’s thoughts and experience to life. And also credits for Nick Robinson, who portrayed Simon in a very likeable, natural and strong way.
“Love, Simon” is a very important film, that takes on this topic very well. I loved this movie!
Rating: 4,5 / 5
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