Review: Heartstopper is a much needed heart-warmer

 Hi everyone!

What a few months it has been, right? I hope you are all doing well, despite the multiple Covid variants, political scandals and most heartbreaking of them all, the tragic events that have been happening in Ukraine. If any of my readers are from or have ever lived in Ukraine, my whole heart goes out to you.

In times like these, it is vital to deal with the added outside noise and the negative feelings this might cause in a way that is best suited to us. As many of you know, I dedicate the majority of this blog to my ever-growing love of music, film, fashion and TV, and today’s entry is no exception.

If you haven’t been on Netflix since Friday 22nd April then I have a new series that might become your new go-to comfort watch. For those of you who don’t know, Heartstopper is the new TV series adaptation based on the universally popular webcomic written by Alice Oseman revolving around a shy, thoughtful 14 year-old named Charlie Spring. After being forced to come out as gay in the previous school year due to being severely bullied by older students, Charlie meets popular and athletic rugby player Nick Nelson in his form class and quickly begins to have a crush on him, despite the pleas from his loving and protective friends.

                                                    (All rights go to Netflix, 2022)

However, we see over the course of the series that Charlie’s feelings are reciprocated as Nick not only copes with his new feelings for Charlie, but also how daunting and terrifying it is to figure out who he is as a person as well as his sexuality in our heteronormative society. These anxieties are heightened even more by the daunting challenge of simply being a young person wanting to fit in at school or college. Like the supportive art teacher Mr. Ajayi says in the show: “being a teenager is terrible”.

This series on the outside looks like it could be for teenagers and in a way, it definitely is. And this isn’t just because Heartstopper revolves around teenage students, but also due to the fact there is no sex, nudity, drugs or alcohol mentioned (yes, that is a thing and yes, a film or show doesn’t need to have explicit content to be good!). Saying that, the subjects discussed and how they are portrayed on screen means it can appeal to slightly older audiences. Let’s put it this way: a lot of people on my social media feeds who are in their mid twenties to even early thirties have all voiced their praise on the show, so Heartstopper definitely has been designed to attract a broader demographic range.

There are some very cleverly placed aspects that bring the stories of these soulful young characters to life: lots of scenes contain bisexual lighting (colours that make up the bisexual flag), faint rainbow colours are featured behind Charlie and Nick in scenes where they are getting to know each other well, and the first aid room was also designed in the colours of the transgender flag. But the thing that makes this show so poignant in my opinion was the thought behind the creation of the two protagonists, particularly Nick Nelson. The way Oseman portrays Nick and his view of life is what I hope my future children are like someday: considerate, brave, smart, caring, not afraid to stand up for other people and of course; his generous, unflinching and bold love for Charlie. I can’t even begin to imagine what it must be like to figure out your sexuality in general, let alone at sixteen within the testosterone-packed environment of a rugby team at an all-boys school. I, of course, won’t tell you what happens, but the way this character handles the cards dealt to him alongside his growing feelings and affections for Charlie restored my hope in humanity again. That is, until the screen faded to black reminding me to charge my laptop.

As someone who identifies as a single cisgender woman, this show has warmed my cynical-romantic heart to the bone. It is fair to say that society in the last 2 years especially has given us every reason to hate the world we live in, including the judgement and discrimination that resides inside far too many people. On top of this, many people - particularly those of an older generation - have grown up with a view of the LGBT+ community which isn’t true in the slightest. I am very honoured, grateful and proud of all my friends, who I’m close with to the point that I genuinely consider them family. And some of my chosen family - as well as relatives - just happen to be LGBT+, and I love all of them for exactly who they are. I realise this sounds cheesy, but I mean it. As a friend and relative, all I want for them is to be happy in their lives and in terms of love, to be with someone who loves them and appreciates every fibre of their being. And them being members of the LGBT+ community just makes me love them even more, because it’s who they are, and every part of each of my friends and family is beyond beautiful. 

Seeing shows such as Heartstopper give a voice to characters like Charlie and Nick just re-confirms what I’ve always believed: everyone deserves love, and everyone deserves and has the right to love whoever their heart, body and soul tells them to love. In the end, no matter the age, how they identify or the number of people involved, people in love are people in love. All I hope for is that one day before the planet implodes, society will no longer use invisible barriers to separate the most beautiful instinct humans have, and that should always be cherished and protected.

Thank you for reading my article-slash-gush-fest about Heartstopper, and if you do give it a watch, let me know what you think in the comments below. If there is anything you would like me to review or simply give my opinion that nobody asked for on a show, album or film in particular, please also let me know in the comments section. Is it weird that I feel like a vlogger or influencer writing that last sentence?

Speak soon and stay safe,

E x