Even though I couldn’t see half the movie through my tears, I’m confident in my belief that “Love, Simon” is one of the best movies ever made and should be considered the “Breakfast Club” of our generation. A break from the traditional indie film, “Love, Simon” is long overdue and gives gay teens the movie they may not have even known they needed.

“Love, Simon” tells the story of 17-year-old Simon Spier (Nick Robinson), who has a relatively normal life, aside from his one big secret: he’s gay. When another boy, Blue, comes out anonymously on social media, Simon messages him and Blue gives him the courage and confidence to accept his identity. Adapted from the 2015 novel “Simon vs the Homo Sapiens Agenda” by Becky Albertalli, “Love, Simon” brings elements of both the mainstream romantic comedy and the traditional LGBT+ indie flick to create an emotionally compelling and barrier-breaking movie.

While it is first and foremost, a romantic comedy, “Love, Simon” addresses many questions that many queer teens have and one of the most prominent of those being why only LGBT+ people have to come out. Simon wonders why heterosexual is considered the “default”, and why before a child can even walk or talk their sexuality is assumed for them. There’s even a scene of Simon’s friends coming out as straight to their families, and many of them having the same surprised reactions as one might expect a parent to have when their child comes out as gay.

“Love, Simon” also tackles gay stereotypes through two contrasting gay characters, Ethan and Simon. Ethan (Clark Moore) is bullied throughout the movie because of his sexual orientation, but brushes it off his shoulder and continues to be himself. To many, Ethan could be considered the real queer role model of this story, as he remains proud of his identity through whatever high school throws his way. Simon, however, does anything he can to avoid his friends finding out about his identity and is terrified of what people would think of him if he ever came out. The two, while very different, share much of the same experience and struggle. According to the Federal Bureau of Investigation, LGBT+ people were more likely to be the victims of hate crimes than any other minority 2014. These trends are evident in the film, especially in the underlying attitudes of many heterosexual characters.

Before his coming out, Simon is blackmailed by Martin (Logan Miller), a fellow cast member in his school production of Cabaret, after he finds Simon’s emails with Blue. Because of Martin, Simon manipulates his friends who, after they realize his influences, are understandably angry with him. The only bad part of “Love, Simon” was their reaction to Simon’s lies. They were still angry with him after he explained why he had to lie to them. He was so scared of everyone knowing his identity and felt like he needed to do what Martin said.

“Love, Simon” is a heartwarming story that will broaden your horizons on both what should be considered a “gay movie” and a traditional romantic comedy. It is a must-watch for anyone looking for a good love story or just a break from the stereotypical boy-meets-girl trope.