Abbie Sears
In recent years with the popularity of ‘TikTok couples and romance podcasts etc., the topic of how to have a long-lasting relationship is being talked about and questioned more than ever. When I meet a couple who have been married for a long time, I always want to ask what the secret is, and often it’s the same answer: it isn’t easy, but if you’re willing to put in time and effort to get through any difficult patches and choose to show up for your partner every day then you can have a life long relationship and share that love forever. This is also one of the messages I have received watching Heartstopper Forever on Netflix.
I am a huge fan of the Netflix series Heartstopper. It has become a comfort show to me and I’ve seen it countless times so I have been so excited for the finale movie. Of course, I would have wished for a final season instead but any journey into the world of Nick (Kit Connor) and Charlie (Joe Locke) is a beautiful one.
I think perhaps I had become too comfortable with the show, which seems to portray a stunning, colourful idealistic world that Nick, Charlie and their friends live in, and a perfect teen queer romance that not many of us have had the chance to experience in real life. I escaped to Heartstopper to feel joy and positivity. Some might say Heartstopper the series is unrealistic, but that is not a problem for me. I want to live in the ideal world for a while watching the show. While I do love and often seek out relatable content, I don’t think you need to relate to be able to enjoy the experience.
When I watched Heartstopper Forever, it was a surprise to me and almost took me out of that comfort zone that the film keeps you in and brings you down to the real world. Of course, it is still just as scenic and beautiful, with the colourful sketches on screen that portray love and emotions inspired by Alice Oseman’s Heartstopper books. However, it really takes a look at the reality behind Nick and Charlie’s teen romance and the fact that it is difficult to find your partner so early in life and face challenges together like separation anxiety, moving away from each other, and even factors like drinking and jealousy.
It’s not difficult to notice the switch between Nick and Charlie early on in the film. Charlie becomes head boy and wants to fight for kids in Truham school who might be in the closet and afraid like he once was. He has become quite popular and also has a part-time job that gives him a sense of self, something that is separate from school life where he can learn more about his personality and become independent. Nick, while also still popular and an incredibly kind person, has almost lost his self-confidence and is anxious about being away from Charlie after moving to university and seems to hide his emotions behind alcohol at times, or simply by being too afraid to speak openly. In the series, Nick supports Charlie through a lot of heavy issues and now feels like a burden to have his own problems, not wanting to drag Charlie down in case it takes him back to that dark place.
So the theme throughout Heartstopper Forever is Charlie choosing to show up for Nick this time around, supporting and encouraging him to open up no matter what. This is an important message of the film in my opinion because it highlights that relationships require support from both sides, you hold each other up when one is feeling down, and work together along the way. In a way you give your partner the strength they need to then do the same for you when you need them to.
The real shocking twist of the film however comes when Nick and Charlie separate for a while. It almost seems like an accident at the time, neither of them wants it to happen, but actually what we see is that this is what affects Charlie deeply and makes him not want to eat again, bringing up his anxieties that lead to problems with anorexia in the show. I don’t think that anything Nick needed to open up about would have that impact as he feared, but what he didn’t realise is that Charlie is not better off without him at all. It is only losing Nick that Charlie is afraid of; they both just want to support each other, and in that they somehow push each other away and let external factors interfere.
In this time, Nick needs to express his feelings and fears of moving away from Charlie, and Charlie, who is feeling better in himself, wants to help Nick share what is wrong, but neither of them can find the words to do so. Then, at a party, a string of miscommunications leads to them feeling like the other needs space, and as we see, the space from each other when they don’t have much time left before Nick leaves only makes things worse. While it is important to be happy individually and love yourself, when you have your partner you want to share with them the ups and the downs because they share your happiness and want you to succeed.
Of course they wouldn’t leave us on an ending like that, would they? And after a difficult time for them both, Nick and Charlie reunite one lovely afternoon after Charlie leaves a note inside a bunch of pictures for Nick to meet him at the beach, but then when I noticed that there were only 26 minutes left after their reunion I couldn’t help but feel like I hadn’t had enough time with them due to their separation.
Heartstopper Forever is a film that I enjoyed but left me wanting more. I noticed that it felt quite rushed. I understand that the series is based on the books, and they had their work cut out for them to finish the story in this film, but to see Nick and Charlie go from excitedly running together in the beginning, embracing their sexuality and love for each other, to being apart and depressed, to suddenly reuniting and ready for graduation and prom, every change felt very sudden and I didn’t have time to come to terms with each moment before it was over. In line with that, it stands out that the other characters, such as Tao, Elle, Isaac, Tara and Darcy, who were such prominent characters in the show, exploring their own sexuality and individualism, were somewhat left out here due to a lack of time for them.
Watching the show so many times like I know a lot of us have, we’ve come to love all the friends, but in the film we almost don’t know what they are going through at all. Tao and Elle are breaking up. Isaac is still reading (and I do enjoy a moment he shares with Charlie’s sister recognising a fellow a-sexual friend). Tara is indecisive about what she wants to do, but there just isn’t time to delve into their lives now and what lead them here and what they are feeling. A final season would give us time for this, so it’s understandable why it happened and I still credit the writers for making the friends feel like the group we knew when they were all together to give us that feeling we had watching Heartstopper.
All in all, despite being rushed, I enjoyed returning to this world again. Some standout moments for me were seeing Mr. Farouk and Mr. Ajayi still together and proudly showing off at the prom, I have always loved Mr. Ajayi for supporting Charlie, and Fisayo Akinade is always incredible and a queer inspiration. Then there is the moment of Nick and Charlie in the snow and seeing Nicks dogs when Charlie turns up at his door, taking us back to them making snow angels in the show when they were younger. And finally, Charlie starting the LGBT social club in school for kids to make friends and not feel alone, despite being told he can’t by the school. Charlie is someone who is going to make a difference and inspire the next generation to be kinder to each other.
As someone who doesn’t get around to reading much, I am so grateful that Heartstopper was brought to our screens as I potentially never would have been introduced to it otherwise. Above all else, it is an important piece of cinema that I hope reaches the younger generation and teaches them about discovering your own sexuality without being ashamed of knowing or not knowing yet who you are. It’s normal to not have all the answers, and it’s normal to be proud of who you are when you do. Growing up as a member of the LGBT community, having friends around me was so important, as they loved me and understood what I was going through. Some people don’t have that group of friends to turn to. It can be difficult to find your people, and I hope that shows like Heartstopper make people feel less alone.
