"Love, Simon" and "Boy Erased" were both released in 2018, both are based on books, and both deal with young men who struggle with their identity as homosexual men. "Love, Simon" is pure fiction while "Boy Erased" is based on a memoir by Garrard Conley, who was placed in a gay conversion program by his conservative minister father. Both films are good and tend to strike at the heart-strings. "Love, Simon" however, is more of a slice of life with a fair amount of humor and day-to-day pathos. "Boy Erased" is darker and involves rape and suicide. I liked "Love, Simon" better as I felt like it was intriguing to explore the idea that homosexuality is still an issue in these supposed open times. The movie rang very true for me in terms of how teens think and act, with complexity in the relationships between the four core friends. I also didn't mind the lighter tone. I really don't think everything of value has to be heavy handed. There was a point in YA lit where every gay character faced abuse or death ("Annie on My Mind" for instance). "Love, Simon" is far past that time, making the struggle for sexual identity a normal right of passage and not a devastating issue which will destroy one's life. It looks at the lead character holistically, a young man who doesn't just have a secret, but deals with the fallout of some poor decisions, as well. "Boy Erased" is compelling, almost entirely due to the unspoken struggles lead character Jared faces, played extremely well by Lucas Hedges. The script and editing, however, are a bit staccato, and we veer from one scene to another, some of which are flashbacks in no particular order, making it difficult to stay emotionally in tune with the damage being done by the conversion therapy institute. For those inclined towards liberal sympathies this film will create some outrage but I couldn't help but think a better produced film would have made the points more organically rather than the heavy-handed efforts here. It should be noted that the people I watched this film with preferred it to "Love, Simon" but that is the beauty of film. It is a subjective art. Select one, or both, movies and compare them yourself.
"Love, Simon" and "Boy Erased" were both released in 2018, both are based on books, and both deal with young men who struggle with their identity as homosexual men. "Love, Simon" is pure fiction while "Boy Erased" is based on a memoir by Garrard Conley, who was placed in a gay conversion program by his conservative minister father. Both films are good and tend to strike at the heart-strings. "Love, Simon" however, is more of a slice of life with a fair amount of humor and day-to-day pathos. "Boy Erased" is darker and involves rape and suicide. I liked "Love, Simon" better as I felt like it was intriguing to explore the idea that homosexuality is still an issue in these supposed open times. The movie rang very true for me in terms of how teens think and act, with complexity in the relationships between the four core friends. I also didn't mind the lighter tone. I really don't think everything of value has to be heavy handed. There was a point in YA lit where every gay character faced abuse or death ("Annie on My Mind" for instance). "Love, Simon" is far past that time, making the struggle for sexual identity a normal right of passage and not a devastating issue which will destroy one's life. It looks at the lead character holistically, a young man who doesn't just have a secret, but deals with the fallout of some poor decisions, as well. "Boy Erased" is compelling, almost entirely due to the unspoken struggles lead character Jared faces, played extremely well by Lucas Hedges. The script and editing, however, are a bit staccato, and we veer from one scene to another, some of which are flashbacks in no particular order, making it difficult to stay emotionally in tune with the damage being done by the conversion therapy institute. For those inclined towards liberal sympathies this film will create some outrage but I couldn't help but think a better produced film would have made the points more organically rather than the heavy-handed efforts here. It should be noted that the people I watched this film with preferred it to "Love, Simon" but that is the beauty of film. It is a subjective art. Select one, or both, movies and compare them yourself.
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