In an accepting community like Brookline, many would assume that a topic such as coming out would be easy to talk about. The movie, Love, Simon tells the story of a high school student who lives in a very similar community to that of Brookline and his journey of coming out.

Simon Spier (played by Nick Robinson) is an ordinary high school student surrounded by a great group of friends, two loving parents and an admiring younger sister. However Simon has a secret: He is gay. When another student, under the alias, “Blue,” from his school comes out as gay online, Simon reaches out to speak with him. At the same time, he struggles to find the right words to tell his friends and family about himself.

Within the first minutes of hearing Simon’s story, I was already rooting for him. Robinson perfectly conveyed the confusing emotions everyone experiences throughout high school while still hiding a major part of his identity.

Robinson himself has openly identified himself as heterosexual. However, his performance as Simon felt real and raw. I, myself, was worried about how authentic the story would be as portrayed by someone who had not struggled with coming out himself. However, after seeing his performance, I could not imagine a more real Simon.

One of the more emotional moments of the movie would have to be when Simon’s secret was revealed, and his parents found out. His father, Jack Spiers (played by Josh Duhamel), was supportive of Simon, but weary in how to approach him in showing his support. When the two spoke and revealed their feelings, I admittedly shed a tear.

Duhamel was able to show a different side than most coming out stories. He was accepting of his son’s sexuality, yet struggled in how to be there for his son.

Although the main topic of the movie was serious, some of the best moments were simple awkward high school scenes fueled by Simon’s classmate, Martin (played by Logan Miller). He was always trying to get Simon to help him get a date with one of Simon’s friends, Abby (played by Alexandra Shipp), but Martin was often too awkward to impress her when they were together.

Martin becomes the villain of the movie after betraying Simon’s trust, but he was still someone who you wanted to see happy. Miller brought the piece of comedy that Love, Simon needed to truly portray the life of any high school student.

My favorite part had to be when Simon sat on the ferris wheel waiting for his mystery man to arrive and reveal himself. When “Blue” finally sat next to Simon as they went around for the last spin on the Ferris wheel, my heart filled with joy as Simon finally got the happy ending he deserved.

Life isn’t perfect, nor is it easy, especially when dealing with carrying around a secret about your true identity. Love, Simon helped in reminding me that even when surrounded by supportive people, coming out is still extremely difficult and personal.