Netflix’s Heartstopper is a feel-good story that made me feel just sad.
Growing up in a small town in the Italian countryside, I’ve always felt different, like an Alien on planet earth. So, I used to dream about those faraway places I saw on TV every week, where society seemed so progressive and everybody so accepting of diversity.
Of course, the truth is, the movies and TV I watched in the early 2000s (aka Charmed, etc.) barely mentioned the word “gay”, let alone showed a healthy representation of it on screen. I was just eager to catch every single glimpse of open-mindedness and turn it into a big fantasy. And I still do that, by the way.
There are a lot of moments of Netflix’s Heartstopper that gave the feels big time. But the most emotional was when the closeted main character almost touches his crush’s finger, and sparks fly up in the air. Literally!
A lot of people probably relate to that; most have been through a first love as teenagers, but to me and many others, that spark is overcharged with an exhilarating sense of freedom and an even greater shame. It was as if touching that person’s finger was wrong, although deep down, it didn’t feel like it. It was just confusing and alienating.
Would I have felt so lost had I seen Heartstopper on Italian TV back in the day? Probably not. I’ll never know for sure.
I’m just overjoyed that most LGBTQIA+ GEN Zers get to watch it right now. I’m happy that Millennials and above, underneath some melancholy, get to feel seen. Finally.
That’s all we ever really wanted…
What about you? Have you seen Heartstopper? What are your thoughts?
Let me know in the comments, or DM me your feelings on Instagram/Twitter/Facebook!
Love,
Matteo
I haven’t seen Heartstopper yet, but definitely will after the article! Thanks for sharing your very interesting take on this and I think it is very important that nowadays the LGTBQ+ community also gets properly represented in movies and series.
We should definitely talk about it during that beer you mentioned. 🙂
I’m glad you want to watch Heartstopper after reading this! It’s a really well-written show 🙂
Bis bald, Phyllis!
Non ho ancora visto Heartstopper, ma leggere la tua recensione è stato toccante e mi ha fatto venir voglia di recuperarla 😍 spero di vedere sempre più show che sappiano dare una rappresentazione accurata e relatable di relazioni e personaggi appartenenti alla comunità LGBTQI+.
Grazie Maria! Anch’io spero di vedere telefilm su telefilm della stessa autenticità! Un po’ ne sto scrivendo pure io 🙂 Just in case…