“Love, Simon”, directed by Greg Berlanti, tells a story as old as time but offers a new perspective.

Based upon Becky Albertallis’ young adult novel, “Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda,” the film “Love, Simon” is a coming-of-age romantic comedy that was released in March 2018. The movie focuses on teenager Simon Spier (Nick Robinson), who has a perfectly normal and happy life, except for one thing that continues to bother him: his closeted sexuality.

Once another male student anonymously posts on their school’s gossip website that he is gay, Simon emails him but does not reveal his identity. Eventually, as the two boys have conversations and connect with one another over shared life experiences, the two fall in love. 

One day, their private correspondences are exposed to the community, and suddenly, Simon’s most personal information has been outed to the entire school. Without any preparation and on someone else’s terms, Simon must learn to accept himself and allow other people to do the same. 

The classic teen romance story portrayed in the film felt so familiar, but it was told in a completely new way. “Love, Simon” offers an alternative narrative on the experience of being gay in high school, one that does not end in bullying and heartbreak.

Yet the film also aims to normalize this narrative by conforming to all aspects of a typical high school romantic comedy; it includes all the family drama, gossip, secrets and unrequited crushes you would find in any other teen movie. However, it lacks traditional, one-dimensional stereotypes, which simultaneously makes it unique.