First thing’s first. Yes I read the book. Yes I loved it just as much as I loved the movie. Yes I cried. Multiple times.
If you haven’t heard of Love, Simon yet, stop reading this and go watch the trailer right now.
It’s about a high school junior, Simon who is gay but hasn’t come out yet because in this society it isn’t always the best thing to do, or at least that’s what it seems like. He finds out there is another guy just like him ("Blue") who posted anonymously so Simon begins emailing him. In the process someone is blackmailing Simon with his emails and it's all just this messy drama that is high school.
As I said in an article I published soon after I read the book "it's a funny, sweet story of personal acceptance and has you wondering the entire time, Who is Blue?" (If you're interested in the other books on the list, check it out here).
It's about love and acceptance, the importance of family and friends and trust, and most importantly, it's about being yourself all the time.
Be yourself. Be you. You’re the only you that will ever exist so be 100% you and never let anyone or anything hold you back. That’s the most important message coming out of this film and the novel.
I cried because I could feel Simon’s feelings. The author and the director of the movie did an amazing job of putting us there in the moment.
I cried because Simon cried. I cried because Simon’s mom cried. I cried as Simon realized he was hurting other people including himself. I cried as Simon learned to accept himself. Not all tears were sad tears, many of them were happy.
I cried because it’s so important to find yourself and accept yourself and just live. I’m almost crying as I write this.
The world is a messy place, but there’s also a lot of good in it and this movie reminded me of that. It reminded me that it doesn’t matter what society thinks of you. It only matters what you think of you. The right people will be around to accept you for who you are.
Watch this movie, but don't just do that. Watch this movie and come away more accepting and loving of those around you, because we're all only here for a finite amount of time and in order to make the most out of the finite, we have to learn how to be infinitely ourselves.
