Netflix’s Heartstopper Delivers A Perfect Portrayal Of Young Queer Love
What happens when boy meets boy?
Based on the graphic novels by Alice Oseman comes Heartstopper, an eight chapter story of life, love, and everything in between. The new Netflix series follows gentle Charlie (Joe Locke) and rugby-loving Nick (Kit Connor) who meet at school where their unlikely friendship blossoms into an unexpected romance. Over the course of the season, we see Charlie, Nick, and their circle of friends navigate self-discovery and acceptance as they support each other in being there most authentic selves.
The first thing Netflix did right when it came to this adaptation was having author Alice Oseman write the Heartstopper TV series as well. There are so many moments that are panel-for-panel from the graphic novel recreated in this show. From the way Charlie’s bedroom is set up with the big lit up “music” sign to his drum kit to the backpack he wears, everything looks the same. It’s amazing how painstakingly they were able to recreate all of those details.
Heartstopper is also just so aesthetically pleasing. They bring in the idea that this is a graphic novel brought to screen by showing comic panels and animations of leaves and flowers and dreamy sequences that show someone's innermost thoughts. The soundtrack perfectly sets the tone while the visuals are punctuated by neon bisexual lighting. Some stand out scenes include the rainbow kiss between Tara (Corinna Brown) and Darcy (Kizzy Edgell) and the rainbow confetti celebration with Nick at the center. While the show is so loyal to the source material, they also do a great job adding in new moments that weren’t seen in the graphic novels that help to enhance the world more, like exploring Harry and Ben's characters more or the fight that Tao has with Harry.
What really makes Heartstopper a can’t miss show is its positive and vast representation of LGBTQ+ experiences. We’re not just focusing on one queer character who has to represent for everyone. This story is about centering the LGBTQ+ experience and normalizing it. Charlie is out and, instead of battling with his sexuality, he's struggling with feeling like he's always being kept a secret. It really takes a hit on his confidence and how he feels about himself. They also start teasing deeper storylines for him that will most likely be addressed if the show gets a second season. When it comes to Nick, he’s confused about his sexuality and trying to figure it out, but it’s never done in a negative way. He’s just trying to understand himself better and delivers some much needed positive bisexual representation that we haven’t seen in Hollywood before. Even though Tara and Darcy have been in a relationship for a while, we see Tara struggle with some changes that come with being out after finally making her lesbian status more widely known. Meanwhile, Elle (Yasmin Finney) is a Transgender girl who has a reciprocated crush on her best friend Tao (William Gao), but they both fear ruining their friendship.
Many of the young actors in Heartstopper are newcomers and do a phenomenal job of bringing their animated counterparts to life. Each couple also has so much chemistry on screen and you root for their whole friend group. The story focuses on staying sweet and heartwarming, keeping any trauma or drama to a minimum. White, straight people get to have these types of stories all the time, and it’s so powerful to be able to see this light, fun, and fluffy story about LGBTQ+ characters and characters of color that can impact so many young people who now have a chance to see themselves represented in a positive light. I've never seen a story like this one that is just so genuine and optimistic and celebrating of LGBTQ+ characters and their love stories.
When it comes down to it, Heartstopper is extremely loyal to the source material, with this first season spanning the first two volumes of the graphic novel. Fans will feel like they literally took each panel and brought it to life on screen in the best way possible. I’m really hopeful this show will get a second season, allowing us to dive into the next chapters as these characters head to Paris together. Paris squad, assemble!
The first season of Heartstopper is currently streaming on Netflix.
