Seventeen-year-old Simon Spier lives an ordinarily blessed life consisting of great friends, a loving family, above-average grades, and gallons of iced coffee. Simon’s just like you, except he has one big secret: he’s gay. Scared that his perfect world will change for the worse, Simon hides his sexuality from his loved ones, until an anonymous online confession from another closeted gay kid in his high school changes everything.
Love, Simon makes history as the first-ever gay-themed romantic comedy made by a major Hollywood studio. Based on Becky Albertalli’s bestselling novel “Simon Vs. The Homo Sapiens Agenda,” Love, Simon is delightfully moving and undeniably necessary as it celebrates identity, acceptance, and most of all, love.
“Love, Simon is delightfully moving and undeniably necessary as it celebrates identity, acceptance, and most of all, love.”
As a film of high calibre and impact graces Philippine cinemas, we give you four reasons to come out and see Love, Simon in all its gay glory.
The cast.
Featuring a stellar lineup of familiar faces–Nick Robinson from Jurassic World, Alexandra Shipp from Tragedy Girls, and Katherine Langford from Thirteen Reasons Why–Love, Simon effortlessly charms moviegoers thanks to its magnetic leads who breathe life into the characters they play with nuance and grit, bringing forth an engaging and honest story that deals with the joy and fear of announcing who you are to the world.
The soundtrack.
Love, Simon boasts a colorful soundtrack featuring Troye Sivan, The 1975, and indie pop band Bleachers with their unique mix of ’80s-inspired and modern tunes. Thanks largely to the music, the film is reminiscent of definitive John Hughes classics like Ferris Bueller’s Day Off and The Breakfast Club, and if that doesn’t convince a millennial to see it, nothing will.
It fights for a universal acceptance.
Less than five minutes into the film, Love, Simon is already gut-wrenchingly relatable. Although the film centers on a young gay man, its themes of love and acceptance is universal. Humans from every color of the rainbow were holding hands and leaning on each other, transforming the cinema into a safe space for everyone regardless of who they love. By the end of the film, everyone was laughing, crying, cheering, and most of all, accepting.
It sets foot for bigger representation.
Love, Simon deals with themes considered taboo in certain cultures that breed ignorance and homophobia. “Love, Simon” is groundbreakingly extraordinary in its ordinary setting, heavily important in these times of hatred and bigotry. As queer representation continues to normalize, LGBT people of every background are given the hope to carry on in a society that deems them unworthy of love. Love, Simon, a mainstream Hollywood movie, will captivate audiences at a wider range and potentially save the lives of those suffocating in the closet and suffering out of it. When has another film have so much impact?
Words by William Rigonan
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