Love Simon could already be the best film of 2018 and its only Spring.
'Love, Simon' is already the film of the year for me. Never have I watched a film and looked at the main character and gone ‘THAT IS ME’ so much in my whole 18 years. I have never tried to publicly declare my sexuality, nor have I ever hidden it. I am a cisgender female who like lads and ladies. Shock for some of you reading this I am sure, especially any of my friends and family who I have not told before. So there you go, I am a bisexual female. I related so much to the struggle Simon faced in coming terms with his identity.
Ever since 2014, at age 14, I have known I am not fully straight. (I wrote an article that has been made private on my request for another site at age 15 about Marriage Equality and what it meant to me, but was scared of people knowing about my sexuality!) But I relate to the fear he faced in this movie to come out. He had open, accepting and fair parents- just like I do. But there is always that niggle of doubt in your head over what their reaction will be. You don’t know how someone will react and I think that is the panic anyone who identifies differently to the straight status quo goes through. There is a worry of rocking the boat and landing arse first in the water. But the reality is, people are more open than we chalk them up to be in our heads. I still have not formally told my parents, but I know they know, and they know I know about them knowing. There has never had to be a pressure, and there never was from them to conform to certain view but I think that anyone in an identity crisis, will make assumptions about the reactions of their peers just from overthinking - Just as the main character did in this movie.
I related to Blue’s fears of being outed. I need to admit, I went to see this movie while on a date which has to be one of the worst ideas I had in a long time as I spent half the time crying out of pure emotional relating to this movie. Blue is not ready to come out and does not want to be labelled. I know that feeling. In my old school, there were divisions. Despite our very liberal environment, there were the ‘Gays’ and everyone else. I did not want to be lumped into a group for my mixed sexuality. Blue is the same. I related to his mental panic about people knowing. (I cant reveal too much for fear of spoiling but I was in floods of happy tears by the end).
The soundtrack was impeccable. It was very well chosen and the songs all had a good relationship with the movie’s plot. Songs from the likes of Troye Sivan brought the youth feel into it. At the very end, ‘Wild Heart’ by Bleachers was played. This song feels like teenage year summed up. The song lifted us up as we exited the movie theatre. The song is very fitting for the overall movie. Highly recommend you all listen to it but it just felt so… real. It felt like what it is to be in love as a teen if that makes any sense. ‘Rollercoaster’ is another Bleachers song in the movie and it felt like a defining song. I haven’t been able to get out of my head. The score makes a movie feel real and added to the emotional gravitas. I literally sobbed because the score helped build the emotion so well.
Every. Single. Young. Person. Needs. To. Watch. This. Movie. – That is an order. This movie is unbelievably well made in terms of helping deal with big scary concepts like sexuality. Coming from a long confused LGBT student, this movie was so relatable. I have other friends whom feel similarly. This was such an amazing movie to watch, maybe don’t watch it on a date if you don’t want to be an emotional wreck!
-Sorcha Ní Chonghaile, lead writer.
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