Review of Love, Simon (2018) by Sarah D — 21 Apr 2018

Love, Simon recently hit theaters and has received a tumult of positive feedback. Based off of a popular novel, it is a moving, light-hearted example of a queer romantic comedy, reminiscent of The Incredibly True Adventures of Two Girls in Love in terms of its navigation of the social issues surrounding queer identity.

The strongest part of the film is by far the characters themselves; they are all extremely dynamic, with their own unique, enigmatic personalities. They all feel like extremely real people, and the audience easily finds themselves falling in love with not only Simon, but his friends and family as well.

The cinematography itself was also done in a very unique, compelling way. We saw things as the way Simon imagined them, particularly when he was thinking about Blue. Each time he was convinced of Blue's identity, whenever Blue was pictured, or was speaking, the audience would see that person or hear his voice, until we, too, were convinced that was his identity, only to be almost as disappointed and surprised as Simon when this was disproven.

It deals not only with the topic of being accepted by yourself and your loved ones, but also with the stigma around coming out, and what happens when you are not allowed to do it on your own terms. Introducing comedic aspects without belittling the social issues is perhaps the most impressive part of the writing in this movie. There were highly charged moments in which I was unable to keep from crying, but there were also so many times I was easily able to laugh. Its humor and references are all modernly relevant, citing current popular trends and movies that keep the audience engagement and make them feel like they're in on the joke.

To me, one of the most significant aspects of this film was the fact that it included a happy ending. In a sea of films and movies in which LGBTQ+ characters receive tragic endings, the fact that such a beautifully written and wide-spread movie ended with a queer kiss and the promise of continuing happiness is extremely powerful. Regardless of identity, this is an important and beautiful movie resonating with all the themes of love, life, and coming of age find across the human experience, that all people should do themselves the favor of seeing.