Disclaimer: this is about to get dramatic

More stories from Amanda Conklin

Successful seasons
April 12, 2018
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Love, Simon is a new film about an LGBTQ+ teen’s struggle to find his perfect high school love story. The movie is packed full of happiness, despair, and what seems like every emotion in between. 

“[Love, Simon is] A wonderful, uplifting, endearing, thoroughly entertaining story,” Richard Roeper, Chicago Sun-Times, said.  

 Love, Simon is an average high school love story with a few more added challenges to overcome. Simon does not know who Blue, the anonymous other closeted teen at his school, is, and Blue does not know it is Simon that he is talking to. The movie revolves around Simon’s struggle to figure out who Blue is while also keeping his identity a secret. 

Love, Simon was fun to watch because nobody knows who Blue is, and it leaves you guessing until the end,” Isabella McCollum, freshman, said. 

This movie does a great job of making the audience feel connected to the character and his story. People can feel the strong bonds of friendship, as well as the betrayal, the love, and the mystery. We are in the same position as Simon; nobody knows who Blue is, and everyone wants to find out. 

“I felt like I was very invested in the emotional aspects of the movie. I felt happy and sad all at once if that’s even possible,” Amelia Jordan, junior, said.  

The setting is a stereotypical suburban high school set in Atlanta. However, this school has aspects of many high schools, including Etowah. Although the educational aspect of the film may not be portrayed accurately, the friendships are realistic. Everyone can find something to relate to, whether it is the family connections or the personal relationships.  

“Love, Simon is a funny, heartfelt, and truly touching teen romantic comedy that instantly becomes a modern classic for today’s generation,” Molly Freeman, Screen Rant, said. 

Love, Simon is about acceptance. As our schools and our classrooms change, these changes need to be addressed and represented in the media and the movies that people are exposed to. This movie can be tied to our community in many ways. The relationships between friends and family as well as the location. Love, Simon was filmed in Atlanta. The author of “Simon vs. The Homo Sapiens Agenda” is an alumnus of Riverwood High School in Sandy Springs, so Atlanta is evident throughout the movie. 

“It is hard to find fault with any film that addresses a changing teenage world with such compassion and decency. An unexpected delight in more ways than one,” Rex Reed, New York Observer, said. 

Love, Simon is an uplifting movie that is definitely worth the time and money to watch it. The production is great; the soundtrack is amazing, and the message behind it all is phenomenal. Buy a ticket and head to the theaters. It is well worth it.