Heartstopper Forever review:
Few romance series on Netflix have enjoyed the kind of unanimous love that Heartstopper has across three seasons. If the reason was to be pondered over, then writer Alice Oseman’s ability to script a coming-of-age series, centred on queer lives without reducing them to either trauma or run-of-the-mill teenage conflicts, has to be the most likely reason for the series’ success. So, when the conclusion to the series, in the form of the film Heartstopper Forever, takes the rather conventional route of contemporary rom-coms, you wonder if it indeed is the perfect ending to a story that has travelled with you this far along. And yet, as queer joy remains its greatest superpower, the finale doesn’t do all that injustice either.
Cast: Joe Locke, Kit Connor, Yasmin Finney, William Gao
Director: Wash Westmoreland
Streaming on: Netflix
This time around, as Nick (Kit Connor) and Charlie (Joe Locke) complete their two-year anniversary, the former dreads leaving for college, having made his decision to join Leeds. The latter, who tries his best to be of support to his boyfriend following a rough year, struggles without being able to offer him a helping hand for his anxiety. How they navigate the idea of a long-distance relationship forms the crux of the film.
Heartstopper has been particular with its focus every single season so far. Season 1 began with their romance but focused on Charlie’s toxic relationship and bullying. Season 2 moved on to Nick’s journey with trying to come out of the closet. Then came the third, and most profound season, which portrayed the decline of Charlie’s mental health, his struggle with anorexia nervosa, and Nick’s role in his recovery all along. The third season, considered the series’ peak, was received with the most warmth for its representation of green flag relationships that work around acceptance and betterment.
This time around, Charlie gets to become the emotional anchor while Nick finally allows himself the vulnerability he has so often reserved for others. For a series on teenage romance, the makers dealt with conflicts with a much more mature sense, reserving the ugly emotions for the last run. Nick experiences insecurity and jealousy as he attempts to find himself an identity apart from being Charlie’s boyfriend. In fact, he even starts his college essay by saying “I am a good boyfriend.” In a way, these emotions make them feel more human than ever, but the conflicts that arise from them are not so novel, straying away from what Heartstopper has showcased for three seasons.
Given the format for the finale, a film, its runtime also works against it. We hardly get insights into the relationships of Tao (William Gao) and Elle (Yasmin Finney), Darcy (Kizzy Edgell) and Tara (Corinna Brown), and Tori (Jenny Walser) and Michael (Darragh Hand). Isaac (Tobie Donovan) is relegated to the background, which is underwhelming, given his asexuality is the most under-represented on television. Another character's revelation about being asexual is reduced to a passing line, a surprising choice for a series that has always made space for every identity. Tao and Elle have relationship problems, some that even make Charlie and Nick question their own, but the film doesn’t get into the details. Heartstopper is known for telling the stories of even supporting characters like the queer teachers Mr Ajayi and Mr Farouk. But again, there’s only so much you can cover with a film.
Heartstopper has always been political, given the topic it talks about. But, for three seasons, the politics has never been outright in the face. However, in Heartstopper Forever, a small monologue by Elle about transgender rights comes at an important point in the story as well as in society, with the series making it amply clear that its politics are as integral to its identity as its gentle coming-of-age storytelling about queer teenagers in love.
For fans of three seasons of Heartstopper, the finale is lacking, no doubt. But isn’t Heartstopper itself about acknowledging and embracing flaws or limitations? The series doesn’t take the straight path even when dealing with the ugly emotions, as the duo don’t hurry to give up on each other. Even as most teen rom-coms tell us adolescent romance won’t last, Heartstopper Forever reminds us that our own relationship could be like that of Nick and Charlie’s. Somewhere, the hug that they share awakens inside the watchers a primal instinct of security and comfort. Perhaps that has always been Heartstopper's greatest triumph. It doesn't promise that love will be easy or that forever is guaranteed; it simply insists that some relationships are worth choosing, again and again. And in a world that so often asks queer stories to justify their existence or end in heartbreak, Heartstopper Forever chooses something far more radical: hope. Even if this goodbye doesn't quite stop your heart the way the series once did, it leaves it undeniably fuller.
