Heartstopper Forever

Heartstopper is one of the most important queer cultural phenomena of its generation. Encompassing a comic, a television series and several novellas, it helped bring stories of queer joy to a vast mainstream audience. Some have criticised the show for being overly twee, describing its portrayal of young queer life as "unrealistic", but I've never agreed with that. It's optimistic, for sure, but that doesn't necessarily mean unrealistic. It shows the power of love, communication, honesty and tolerance in a world where, sadly, those qualities are becoming scarcer by the minute. If we all took a leaf out of Nick and Charlie's book, the world would be a much better place.

After 24 episodes, the television series concludes with a feature-length 25th instalment. Coming a little over two weeks after the final volume of its graphic novel source material was released, it certainly had its work cut out for it. Compressing the story into two hours, when each season of the series averaged just under four and a half hours, was always going to require compromise. These compromises are noticeable, but they never broke the film's emotional hold over me.

In the film, Nick and Charlie face some of the biggest challenges in their relationship yet. We see Charlie, still recovering from self-harm and anorexia, trying to support his doting boyfriend but struggling to break through the surface of Nick's complex anxieties. Nick, on the other hand, experiences something of an identity crisis, crippled by anxiety and unable to visualise life apart from Charlie as he prepares to go off to university. As the story progresses, their relationship becomes more fraught, the stakes rise, and they begin to question whether their teenage love can survive their impending adulthood.

That's a hell of a lot for one film to take on. And, indeed, there are moments where the pacing could have done with some more finesse. The film spans an entire school year, and as Nick and Charlie's relationship...