Heartstopper is a show that captures the feeling of young love,and reflects those unique experiences of high school crushes,first loves,and finding out who you are.
Based on the graphic novel of the same name by Alice Oseman,Heartstopper follows the burgeoning love story between two British schoolboys,Charlie Spring (Joe Locke) and Nick Nelson (Kit Connor). There are other ancillary romances and storylines centred around their broader friendship group – plus a fantastic turn by Oscar-winning British actress Olivia Colman who appears as Nick’s supportive mum.
It’s determinedly a romance:a warm,bubbly escape from the troubles of the rest of the world. It takes place across schoolyards,teen bedrooms,malls and arcades. It’s unconscionably sweet – soundtracked by cool,yearning-pop hits,and illustrated with little pops of graphics to help capture the emotion of a moment. Cartoon sparks fly when hands touch,heart emojis pop around their heads.
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It might sound saccharine,but the skill with whichHeartstoppercaptures these very earnest emotions seems to be able to melt even the coldest and most cynical of hearts. A lot of this also comes down to the very heartfelt performances of the two leads,who are also perfect casting – all rosy cheeks and cute British boys saying “hi” to each other breathlessly,hair dangling in their eyes.
The main tension in the show comes from the leads grappling with their identity and sexuality:Charlie being out and gay already,Nick only discovering his sexuality through his attraction and friendship to Charlie. But even then,homophobia and transphobia only really looms in the background,manifested mostly as immature taunting by some classmates.