After its remarkable release in the United States, Love, Simon, the teen-movie phenomenon, arrives in French cinemas.
Din the lineage of teen-movies, Love, Simon is about teenagers who fall in love and end up suffering from it at one point or another in the plot. Classic, so far.
Like all the heroes of these sweet-tasting films, Simon dreams of true love. He then begins a 100% digital relationship with a stranger, gradually endangering his secret: the teenager prefers boys to girls. Nothing out of the ordinary so far, except that no one around him knows he’s gay. On paper, Love, Simon is nothing revolutionary and remains a somewhat marshmallow and classic story. But in no time, thanks to the content of his words, this feature film by Greg Berlanti (showrunner of the series Flash or super girl) has become a real popular phenomenon.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hlzFQc1kWn0
Released last March in the United States, Love, Simon captured the hearts of critics and American audiences. Back to the 3 essential facts to remember from this film which has become in just a few months a real symbol for the LGBT cause.
1
The first teen-movie worn by a gay character
During the promotion of the film, director Greg Berlanti returned to the LGBT symbol of his film, recalling during an interview with the AlloCiné site: “It’s the first studio film to tell the story of a gay teenager’s discovery of love.”
In the cinema, homosexuality is often treated in independent films which offer rather dark plots, often not very accessible to the youngest. This is particularly the case of Call me by your Name or Bad Education by Pedro Almodóvar.
Unlike these two examples, Love, Simon is aimed at the greatest number, a popular film based on the main principles of teen-movie: love, tenderly written characters despite somewhat caricatural features, an American high school full of clichés and always a dose of humor .
2
Adapted from a best-selling book in the United States
In the veins of Our opposite stars“ Love, Simon is the adaptation of a best-selling novel: “Me, Simon, 16 years old Homo Sapiens” by Becky Albertalli. Released in 2012, the book won the William C. Morris Award for Best Young Adult First Novel of the Year.
To be as faithful to reality and write the character of Simon, the author, then a psychologist at the time of writing the novel, was largely inspired by the young LGBTQ people she had the opportunity to meet as patients. .
3
A film that changed the lives of young LGBT people
Love, Simon accompanied many gay teenagers during their coming out. Some testimonials broadcast on Twitter have shown the strength of this comedy, as revealed by TETU magazine. One of the spectators announced that she had come out thanks to the film: “I work in a cinema and two elderly women bought tickets to see ‘Love, Simon’. As one of the two was leaving, the other turned to me and said ‘she’s been my best friend for 25 years and I’m going to come out to her at the end of the film’. I cry about it”.
In addition, fiction quickly caught up with the reality of Nick Robinson, the young actor who plays Simon. The latter confided during his visit to the Ellen Show that his little brother had revealed his homosexuality to him during the filming: “ One of the best things about this movie was letting (my brother) talk to us about it. I think the strength of Love, Simon is to be able to start conversations. »
Why 3* Because 3 is the number of awards that Brokeback Mountain received at the 78th Academy Awards: Best Director for Ang Lee / Best Adapted Screenplay for Larry McMurtry and Diana Ossana / Best Music for Gustavo Santaolalla
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