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Some of my beautiful readers may recall that I previously reviewed this gem back when it was initially released in 2018, in which I simply encouraged you all to go see it, and that mentality remains. Love, Simon may very well be one of my favorite love stories for many reasons, not the least of which is its effort to explore and examine the challenges many people face when discovering their sexuality and identity, especially in an age when it seems as though most of the world is against you.
Rather than summarize the movie again, I shall describe my favorite scene from the movie and why. If, however, you would like a quick summary of the movie as a whole and why it's worth your time, I recommend referring to my previous review of the film, which you will find a link to below this paragraph. For the rest of us, here is my favorite scene and why it makes the film so awesome to me. Spoilers from here on out.
So, a quick reminder, the story centers around a high school boy who discovers his homosexuality and, despite living in a loving and accepting household, hasn't yet told his family. When circumstances force him to finally come out to his parents, he is met with the initial expected shock and surprise, causing his father to politely leave the room.
Now, this would be the typical moment when the father character has difficulty coming to terms with his son's homosexuality, because, sadly, things like toxic masculinity and heteronormativty are still prominent things in modern society, and it's rare for most media of any kind to play with this moment any differently. However, this movie delivers a much-needed and deeply appreciated heartwarming moment that not only serves as the complete antithesis of all that negative stuff, but also shows that it's okay for men of all kinds to have emotional reactions that don't conform to what may be "expected" of them.
Shortly after the initial coming-out moment, Simon finds his father outside, tending to some Christmas lights (Simon had come out to his parents on Christmas Day). In their brief and heartfelt conversation, it turns out that Simon's father wasn't upset that his son was gay, nor that he hadn't said anything about it for so long; he was upset that he hadn't noticed or picked up his son's identity like he felt he should have. In that moment, Simon's dad admits that he felt as though he had failed as a father because he didn't realize that his own son was gay, and he was ashamed that he likely, however inadvertently, made his son afraid to say anything to his dad in the first place.
After all of that comes out, Simon's father makes it abundantly clear how much he loves his son and that he would never change a thing about him.
This is what ultimately sold me on this film and why I appreciate it so much: the positive portrayal of father figures. Yes, the overall love story is the primary focus of the film (as it should be). The fact that it centers around an often underrepresented community earns the film many bonus points from me, but speaking as a heterosexual male who has always been a firm believer that love is love plain and simple, having a movie make the effort to show what that means in every aspect of human connections, regardless of prefrence or orientation, makes my heart soar much higher that the film might have otherwise.
Love, Simon is a beautiful and heartfelt film in every possible way. It highlights the absurdity of ostracism while celebrating the joys of self-discovery and the profound power of love in all of its forms. It is a must-watch for everyone, especially during Pride Month. Be sure to add this to your list.
Ladies & gentlemen, I am TheNorm; thank you all for reading.
Happy Pride Month!
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