Love, Simon

Love, Simon brings  new light to a typical teenage romantic comedy. The movie, released March 16, explores the journey of a closeted gay high school student finding a way to come out. Director Greg Berlanti  utilizes the relatable teenage romance to bring LGBTQIA communities to the big screen, all while making the storyline comical, yet genuine.

In the opening of the movie, protagonist Simon narrates he is “just like you.” We see that Simon lives in a classic suburban neighborhood with supportive parents and a younger sister who he loves. He  is sociable and active within his school’s community. Berlanti establishes that Simon leads a normal life, no different from any other teenager.

He is not afraid that his friends and family would not  accept his sexuality, but instead, he is afraid of how it will change people’s perceptions of him. Eventually, an anonymous student at his school with the code name “Blue” posts on a popular message board about being scared to come out of the closet, which causes Simon to reach out to him. Blue’s identity is the cliffhanger of the film, keeping the audience in suspense to find out who he is.

The film provides a beautiful intimacy between the two characters, making the story seem real, and not over dramatized for Hollywood affect. As time goes by, the two begin to care about each other more and more and support  each of their journey’s on coming out, which inspires them to come out to certain family and friends.

Love Simon is the epitome of a teenage love story. Simon to begin with was just a normal, everyday teen, and even in coming out, he was the same person he had always been. The film was perfect because of the shown simplicity of a teenage world. It felt real.