November 22, 2024 The Newspaper Serving LGBT Los Angeles

In “Alex Strangelove,” Love Ain’t Simple

If you took the time to see “Love, Simon” in theaters earlier this year, you’ll find a lot of similarities even in the first few minutes of the new Netflix film “Alex Strangelove.” A seemingly “normal” teenager who’s “just like you?” Check. A group of quirky bffs? Yup. An updated John Hughes film atmosphere? Of course. It’s a teen movie, after all. But like “Simon,” and unlike a bunch of other, slightly darker recent teen offerings like “Stranger Things” and “13 Reasons Why,” the discovery of a queer identity, in “Strangelove,” doesn’t seem to come with very high stakes. Like some of the best teen movies coming out these days, “Alex Strangelove” keeps the hero’s struggle largely internal. The problem with this? Film is a visual medium, and for most of the story, the choice to keep first-person narrator Alex largely alienated from the discovery of his own sexuality, keeps the audience shut out as well.

If we were being generous, we could say that this was the point “Strangelove’s” filmmaker (Craig Johnson) was trying to make. Even in a liberal climate where coming out as gay isn’t seen as being a career-ending or especially life-changing move, it’s still hard and painful to do. In fact, it’s still almost impossible to spot if you’re not looking for it. And if you’re bisexual, as hero Alex (sort of?) is, you might not really be looking for it. That is, until it comes looking for you, in the form of a sexy out-gay kid from another school who magically shows up at a party.

This is all well and good, but “Alex Strangelove” still isn’t exactly the kind of story that’s going to help break down barriers, especially when it comes to the bisexual community. For a film that begins with the teasing premise of a truly bisexual coming out, “Strangelove” takes its time coming to the ultimately disappointing conclusion that all our main character needed to do was to come out as 100 percent gay in order to make things better. There would be absolutely nothing wrong with this if the film, like “Love, Simon,” was marketed as a gay coming-out story. But “Strangelove” promised, with its coy promo image of a boy in between another boy and a girl covered by a giant question mark, to be a story about the complications of bisexuality, a topic that’s woefully under-discussed and, perhaps more importantly, under-explored in current LGBTQ+ films. When it comes to coming out stories, it’s certainly nice to project an image of a world that won’t stone you to death once you speak your truth. However, for many gay, bi, and questioning kids around the country, the solution to the problem of identity isn’t just deciding to come out as one thing or the other. It’s about learning not to viewing identity – however complex – as a problem to begin with, much less a problem with any kind of a solution in view.

“Strangelove” is a cute, sweet movie about a kid learning to be who he is, and no matter how many times we see those much longed-for images of two boys kissing while their high school classmates look on approvingly, it’s never going to get old, at least not anytime soon. The hope, however, is that primer efforts like “Strangelove,” with all their old-fashioned “Breakfast Club” idealism, will make way for more complex interpretations of queerness down the line. That is, once filmmakers realize that we don’t need that kind cinematic of hand-holding anymore. Don’t worry: We’ll wait.

Related Posts

Hammer Museum Presents 10th Edition of MoMA Contenders: Screenings, Conversations with Top Filmmakers

November 19, 2024

November 19, 2024

Lineup Features Films by Steve McQueen, Sean Baker, and Brady Corbett The Hammer Museum will host the 10th edition of...

Trailer for Luca Guadagnino’s Queer Drops, Set for Limited Release on November 27

October 30, 2024

October 30, 2024

Based on William S. Burroughs’ Novel, the FilmBrings a Powerful Love Story to Life Not content with releasing one amazing...

The Oscar Micheaux Film Festival Kicks Off at the Culver Theater This Week

October 21, 2024

October 21, 2024

A Week-Long Celebration of Independent and Mainstream Cinema  The Oscar Micheaux Film Festival returns for its sixth annual celebration, running...

Queer Holiday Horror Film Carnage for Christmas Opens October 18 at Lumiere Cinema in Beverly Hills

October 18, 2024

October 18, 2024

Director Vera Drew Will Moderate a Q&A with Alice Maio Mackay on Friday at 8:00 p.m. Dark Star Pictures is...

Tegan and Sara’s 15-Year Catfishing Nightmare Exposed in New Documentary

October 2, 2024

October 2, 2024

Indie Rock Duo Teams With Filmmaker Erin Lee Carr to Investigate the Scheme Indie rock icons Tegan and Sara, known...

Sarah Paulson Attends West Coast Premiere of Hold Your Breath at Beyond Fest

September 29, 2024

September 29, 2024

The Chilling Horror Film Set in 1930s Oklahoma Debuts on Hulu on October Actress and Executive Producer Sarah Paulson attended...

Ariana DeBose and Arian Moayed Walk Red Carpet at Fantastic Fest for “House of Spoils” Premiere

September 23, 2024

September 23, 2024

Prime Video Thriller Set to Premiere October 3 Following Exclusive Screening Academy Award winning, LGTBQ actor Ariana DeBose, Arian Moayed,...

Beyond Fest 2024 Announces Biggest Lineup Yet, Featuring 82 Films Across Four Theaters

September 12, 2024

September 12, 2024

25 West Coast Premieres, 16 World Premieres, and Free Screenings Sponsored by Neon Beyond Fest, the annual celebration of genre...

New Film Explores Abraham Lincoln’s Private Life, Partnering with Human Rights Campaign

September 6, 2024

September 6, 2024

Lover of Men uncovers untold stories of Lincoln’s romantic relationships A new film, Lover of Men: The Untold History of...

Director Tilman Singer Returns with Atmospheric Horror Film Cuckoo, Opening on Friday

August 7, 2024

August 7, 2024

Hunter Schafer and Dan Stevens Face Off in the German Alps On August 9 German director Tilman Singer, known for...

Film Review: Harold and the Purple Crayon

August 2, 2024

August 2, 2024

By Dolores Quintana I will admit that my expectations weren’t high for Harold and the Purple Crayon, but I was...

Cinespia Announces Additional Special Screenings at Hollywood Forever Cemetery

July 19, 2024

July 19, 2024

Featuring Tributes to Paul Reubens and Shelly Duvall and Annual Screenings Cinespia, the popular cinematic experience presented by Amazon MGM...

Viral Tweet Spurs Screening of Michael Mann’s Miami Vice at the Lumiere Cinema in Beverly Hills

July 10, 2024

July 10, 2024

Independent Theater to Showcase 2006 Film on July 13 Following Online Debate By Dolores Quintana Following an unexpected turn of...

Film Review: MaXXXine

July 4, 2024

July 4, 2024

By Dolores Quintana MaXXXine, the third installment in Ti West’s X film series, could potentially be the finale. However, writer...

Celebrate Queer Cinema at the Egyptian Theater’s Hollywood Pride Series June 25-27

June 20, 2024

June 20, 2024

Experience Nearly a Century of LGBTQ+ Representation on the Silver Screen The Egyptian Theater is set to host “Hollywood Pride:...