LOVE, SIMON


US, 2018, 110 minutes, Colour.
Nick Robinson, Jennifer Garner, Josh Duhamel, Katherine Langford, Alexandra Shipp, Logan Miller, Keiynan Lonsdale, Jorge Lendeborg Jr, Talitha Eliana Bateman, Tony Hale.
Directed by Greg Belanti.


Simon is a 17-year-old high school student, popular, living at home with his devoted parents and his sister (who is determined to be a chef and does a lot of practising in the kitchen). It seems the picture of an ideal family, American style.

But, very soon, it emerges that Simon is deeply preoccupied, a problem about himself, a problem about his identity. He knows that his orientation is gay. However, it is a secret from everyone and he has not thought realistically about coming out.

Love, Simon is based on a book which has the evocative title, Simon vs the Homo Sapiens Agenda, by Becky Albertalli. It is well written, creates characters effectively, some very seriously, some with a touch of caricature. And it invites the audience to identify with Simon, as a person first of all, then with his dilemma about revelation or not and its consequences. While his father is genial, he is also prone to wisecracks and the audience anticipates that he may find Simon’s coming out difficult to cope with. Simon’s mother, however, is a psychologist.

At school, Simon has a very loyal group of friends whom he picks up in his car each morning. There is Leah (Katherine Langford), who is obviously devoted to him. There is Abby (Alexandra Shipp), new to the neighbourhood and to the school. And there are two black friends, Nick and Bram (Jorge Lendeborg Jr, Keiynan Lonsdale, who is an Australian actor), They have classes, do the ordinary things at school, several of them participating in the school production of Cabaret, the MC being played by an annoying school friend, Martin (Logan Miller).

The main comic element in the film, which lightens the seriousness times, is in the personality of the vice principal, Mr Worth (Tony Hale) who is forever in the corridors, commenting on everybody as they pass, especially as he confiscates their phones. He chatters, is friendly with the students – and has to be ready for whatever problems arise.

When word goes around the school that somebody is gay, the reactions are a mixture of acceptance, intolerance, mockery.

The device that the screenplay uses for Simon to act on his struggle is finding an email message from an unidentified student, Blue. Simon impulsively replies, using the code name Jacques. He does get a reply from Blue, then finds himself thoroughly preoccupied at school, in class, at home, at meals, talking with his friends, waiting for messages from Blue. Simon begins to pour out his heart, empathising with Blue, indicating his problems and, impulsively, realising it only after he has pressed “sent� that he has signed his message, Love, Simon.

Blue has his own personal struggles and the screenplay indicates three possible characters who might be Blue.

While the audience is drawn into Simon’s story, hopefully understanding or, if not understanding or, even, disapproving, the film explores the repercussions of coming out. What was difficult in past years is still difficult but the community has, generally, more empathetic response.

Because Simon seems so ordinary in his daily life, the coming out is a surprise for most people. And the film shows how they deal with it, especially because Simon gets entangled with his emotions then, with somebody tapping into his emails, there is always the risk of the unwelcome outing.

Whatever one’s approach to issues of sexual orientation, this is a film well worth seeing and discussing, a testing out one’s moral framework, of one’s emotional response, of empathy and understanding.

Love, Simon is an unexpected cinema invitation for thoughtful response to characters and issues.


1. The title? The focus on Simon? The introduction of the theme of love?

2. The 21st story of relationships, gender issues, sexual orientation, love and commitment?

3. Audience responses to the theme, American audiences, elsewhere? The status of discussion about sexual orientation? Civil unions? Issues of same-sex marriage?

4. The setting, the American town, ordinary, the home, Simon’s room, the kitchen, meals, the streets, lifting cars, school, classrooms and corridors, principal’s office, theatre and rehearsals, parties, Halloween and fancy dress? The musical score?

5. Nick Robinson as Simon, his age, his place in his family, his pleasing manner, studies, his relationship with his parents, his sister and her cooking, school, his plans, the group of friends and sharing with them, classes? Mr Worth, in the corridors, his comments, friendliness, confiscating all the phones? Simon as observably ordinary?

6. Audience response to gay themes? The reaction of the school, staff, students? The outing of the camp student, his manner, his hair? Mockery in the school, tolerance? Students not understanding fully?

7. The text, Simon in his room, reading the text, the decision to reply, the nature of his response, sympathy for Blue, the revelation about his own orientation? Visitations, sending the message? The consequent preoccupation and waiting for responses, distracted, going to the bathroom, with his friends, family meals?

8. The Cabaret production, Abby as Sally Bowles? Martin as the MC? The piano player, the teacher and her comments, the rehearsals?

9. Martin, and in-your-face character? In the library? Simon hurrying away, leaving his emails open? Martin reading them, approaching Simon, the blackmail so that he could getting better with Abby? Simon’s reaction?

10. The humorous parodies of the straight friends coming out to their parents?

11. Simon, supporting Martin, though reluctantly, the meetings, rehearsing the lines at the Waffle House, the various outings, and bemused by Martin? His presuming too much? Simon and Cavalier, Simon interpreting Leah in love with Nick, urging them to outings? The party, Halloween, Simon going is John Lennon, Leah as Yoko Ono? Martin and his Freudian slip? Bram, the friend, Simon finding him kissing in the room? Going home, Leah and her stayover, talking with Simon? Is not understanding her feelings?

12. Martin and the homecoming football match, as the Bear, interrupting the national anthem, the reactions, Mr Worth, the microphone, his declaration to Abbey, her embarrassment but her response? His humiliation? Revealing Simon’s orientation, exposing the emails? The effect on Simon, his sister talking with him, talking with his parents, his father’s awkwardness, his mother’s understanding? His declaration that he was the “same me�?

13. Students looking out at him at school, the vulgar mockery in the dining room? The teacher and her reaction, sending the offenders to the principal, Mr Worth and his getting an apology from the students? Isn’t present, the talking with Simon, the issue of coming out, living with being out? Issues of school policy intolerance?

14. Leah and Nick, their reaction to Simon, for his being cowardly, setting up the situations? And his having revealed the truth to Abbey?

15. At the Waffle House, the waiter, Simon’s attraction, the film imagining that he was Blue, the attraction, texting, the imagining the Jewish feast with the father?

16. The piano player, the film also imagining him, with his father? The holiday in the middle of nowhere?

17. The family support for Simon? His father weeping, the embrace? Blue and his responses self-revelation? Simon realising that he was in love? The texting, the stopping of the account? The pain for Simon?

18. The image of the ferris wheel, up and down? The friends paying for continuous rides? Martin coming – the joke and the apology? Bram finally arriving? His past friendship with Simon? On the ferris wheel? The kiss?

19. The topical issues, treatment, wide audience awareness of these orientation realities and relationships?