spotlight “Everyone Deserves a Great Love Story.” That’s a
direct quote from the promotional materials for the film, Love, Simon. It’s the story based on Becky Albertalli’s young adult novelSimon vs. The Homo Sapiens Agenda, about 17-year-old Simon Spier, a young man on the brink of discovery. Discovery of who he is as a young gay kid and learning about self-acceptance, offinding community and defining family. Living the thrill of first lovein a world that can sometimesstill offer challenges for any teenager... especially for one who is coming to terms with life as a young LGBTQ teenager. To date, there hasn’t been a film that I know of likeLove,
Simon. Not that there haven’t been a ton of films about teen angst over the years, the John Hughes catalogue comes to mind:The Breakfast Club, Sixteen Candles or Pretty in Pink. They were all unique for their time and took on the awkwardness of teenage self-discovery, of navigating the minefield that is high school and trying to understand its hierarchy. All those painful and joyful experiences any teenager can have. But, a film that specifically speaks to all those early
dramas,while navigating the first early pangs of fear one feels as you discover that who you are is a “little different” than those around you? Toss into that mix a positive, queer, teen love story? Well, the film just didn’t exist... Until now. It’s whyLove, Simon is so significant. It illustrates the
bravery of owning your truth and the courage it takes to live it fully— then bravely marching towards sharing that truth with others— learning to risk for love andto not be ashamed as you do it. Representation is everything. Though the film may be a
bit saccharine in its cuteness and even a little predictable with its eventual “happy ending,” it still has value. Simon comes out, making a humorous human mess of things as he does so. Though in the end, he discovers the uncon- ditional love and support of his family and his group of friends...a fact that all too often can be lacking in real life. Simon’s journey to self-acceptance, his eventual
connection to his secret crush and then the throes of his first love, well, it’s unique to American film. It’s adorable... and significant because it is so adorable: It’s not tragic, not bleak, not a joke and not a sad, predictable trope.
Love, Simon is a sweet story about a teenager
growing up and discovering who he is…a kid on the verge…Andone who just happens to be gay. Here’s what the cast members Nick Robinson (Simon), Katherine Langford (Leah), Alexandra Shipp (Abby), Jorge Lendeborg Jr. (Nick), Keiynan Lonsdale (Bram), Natasha Rothwell (Ms. Albright their teacher) and Director Greg Berlanti had to say aboutLove, Simon and being a part of its creation.
Greg, you’ve talked about how you had a very similar experience to Simon’s in the film. If you could go back to yourself at a younger age, what might you say to that boy, especially after doing this film? Greg:I think about that a lot. I would say to
LOVE, SIM
hang in there and that the best version of your life will begin once you find the courage to say who you are. To not hold it against yourself for being ashamed or afraid, that those are all normal feelings and that once you start speaking out, you’ll find allies. One thing I’ve said I didn’t realize until after we’d made the film, is that I probably would have been too scared to have gone to the movie. I would have worried that people might have thought I was gay if they saw me there at the neighborhood theatre. I’m pretty sure there are probably kids still today that wouldn’t want to tell their parents they were going or are afraid that if they did go with someone they knew that it might incite a conversation that they aren’t ready for. But ultimately, I would have seen it and I know it would have helped me. Like the ones that I started to see when I was in college that helped me. They were a window into my potential future once I had the wherewithal or courage to talk about such things. When it comes to high school, we’ve all experienced trauma at one time or another during that period. Do any other of you have sage advice for those who might be suffering? Miles: It’s a scary thing to not know yourself
good and bad. I think people are still figuring out how to navigate social media. What I think people are starting to notice is that we latch on to people when they are authentic, and that maybe makes them think that they should be authentic too. Maybe we don’t have to constantly paint ourselves as these different specific persons online. Of course, that is still going to exist, and still does, maybe it’s even the majority, but more and more we’re able to be inspired by people not just showing the highlights of their lives, but
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completely and to try and present yourself to so many different people, from so many different walks of life. Everyone is trying to find themselves and everyone is being judged. It’s such a critical time or at least you make it up to be that. You feel like everyone is in your business… When your 15, 16 or 17, you just can’t be yourself yet. You were born yesterday, and you just can’t know your whole you in high school, so just be patient. Can we talk about how important the social media and online aspect was toLove, Simon? How, in your view it tends to affect teens in particular in this day and age? Nick: I think that it’s possible that the online
presence causes a lot of anxiety to teens, because there is a certain kind of permanency to what you say these days. If you post something on Twittter or on Instagram, that is representing you for, well, kind of all eternity. Even if it’s deleted you can’t re- ally get it back. I think for people, teens especially, it’s already a difficult time. It’s a transitional period in your life, then with social media you’re being forced to be hyper self-aware and self-critical at times and I think it’s not always a good thing. In a lot of ways, it can be very positive, in that it connects people and you can find communities that you might not otherwise have access to. In certain parts of the country, the message of this film is that you can find people like you, it’s not necessarily just the people immediately around. There is a community for you. Keiynan:It’s sort of a double-edge sword, both
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