Love, Simon

Unrequited is the scourge of teenage years whether it be love or friendship. There are secrets; there are secret passions. Shyness acts as a protector against peer pressure - stay hidden, stay still - as well as a flag to bullies.

For millennials who live and breathe social media the silent option is too freaky. Can you imagine Grease with mobile phones?

The high school movie has its own conventional arc. It is called "a rite of passage" which translates as "where next?" Getting virgins into bed is never as easy as it sounds. First time can be a physical and psychological obstacle race. What happens on the way has more potential for disruption, either a scumfest or a fun rush.

Simon (Nick Robinson) is a nice boy who lives in a nice house in a nice part of a nice town with nice parents and a sister who bakes. There is one pink cloud on the horizon, however. Simon is gay.

How does he know? Because he likes the way the outdoor help blows fallen leaves into heaps? Because his close (girl) friend sleeps over on the floor of his room one night instead of under the duvet? He says he has known since he was 12, or something, and yet Mom and Dad had no idea. In Niceville you don't admit to feeling funny abut this, like you don't admit voting for Donald J.

Simon's sexual fantasies don't stretch to gay porn. They don't stretch at all until he falls in love on the web with someone called Blue who goes to his school and posted a message about being That Way and why not make a connection? Simon does (incognito). Once this would have been a postal romance. Now it's electronic. Quelle change?

The film is tastefully trivial. It won't embarrass you. It doesn't hurt enough.

Who is Blue? Do you want to realise the fulfillment of a make believe love affair that hasn't touched base yet? Of course. What else is there to do?

Simon carries his emotions with care. He is neither a high flyer, nor low hanging fruit. He is steady.