“Everyone over 40 should be forced to [Heartstopper] to look”Bridgerton and Wicked star Jonathan Bailey told Vanity Fair a few weeks ago. The actor has in the 3rd season of Heartstopper a guest appearance as an author whom Charlie (Joe Locke) and Nick (Kit Connor) meet at a reading. He raved highly about the Netflix series: “Heartstopper seems to give people a kind of catharsis and melancholy nostalgia for what could have been. I, for one, felt all of that.”
With this, Jonathan Bailey probably speaks from the heart of not only me, but also many others. But I would add one more thing, which I’m sure Bailey also meant: It’s not just everyone over 40 who should definitely watch Heartstopper ‒ but also everyone under 40 (if they don’t already do it anyway). Because there is currently hardly any other coming of age series that is as good and important as the Netflix hit.
Netflix hit Heartstopper is the perfect coming of age series
Heartstopper is about the British teenagers Charlie and Nick, who at first glance couldn’t be more different: Charlie is shy and creative and is one of the outsiders at his school – partly because he is bullied for being openly gay. Nick is captain of the school’s rugby team and is well-liked by most. Of all things, the two are placed next to each other in an hour’s work. They get to know each other and fall in love.
In the first season we witness the slow and extremely awkward approach between the two, with the main focus being Nick’s realization of his bisexuality. Over the course of the second season, their relationship strengthens during a school trip to Paris. In season 3, this relationship finally becomes put to a tough testbecause Charlie suffers from an eating disorder. As much as Nick tries to help him, he quickly realizes that there are forces at work that he cannot handle alone.
Check out the trailer for Heartstopper Season 3 here:
Heartstopper – S03 Trailer (German) HD
In addition to Nick and Charlie, they are made up of their friends, who bring their own problems with them Heart of the series. After her transition, Elle (Yasmin Finney) moves to a girls’ school and has to find her way in a new environment before she has to combine years of physical dysphoria with a first relationship. Cinephile Tao (William Gao) is deeply affected by his father’s death, which often pushes him to his limits in friendships and in his relationship with Elle.
Darcy (Kizzy Edgell) is not accepted by her mother for being queer, which is why Darcy closes herself to her friend Tara (Corinna Brown). She’s not yet used to being perceived by others as openly queer. Isaac (Tobie Donovan) constantly wonders what’s wrong with him because he doesn’t really feel attracted to anyone. And Imogen (Rhea Norwood) only ever does what everyone else expects of her.
This colorful and eclectic bunch is young, chaotic and sweet. It catapults us back to our own youth, where life’s big questions were the order of the day and every feeling felt ten times as intense. Back then it was about belonging or setting yourself apart, trying out and finding yourself – with all the wonderful highs and terrible lows.
Heartstopper also repeatedly lets its characters fall to the hard ground and shows them the bitter reality. Compared to many other coming of age formats, the series collects them again with unique sensitivity and shows both them and us as viewers, how easy it could have been ‒ and how easy it could be for many if you have the right people and role models at your side.
This may sound unrealistic to some, exaggerated or politically correct to others. As a rare positive example of positive representation and visibility, Heartstopper is an ultimate milestone and It also loses absolutely nothing in terms of entertainment. On the contrary, it gives the series more depth and emotional weight, which can captivate you episode after episode.
Hearststopper also shows in season 3 that it is currently one of the best and most important series
The third season opens up a whole new level for us with the topic mental health gains a strong significance. Taboo topics such as anorexia and the effects on those affected and their families are treated with a sensitivity that has rarely been seen in film and television before, creating an expanded form of visibility. The Heartstopper kids are slowly growing up and, in addition to many light moments, give the series a new seriousness.
With a rating of 8.1 out of 10 points, the Moviepilot community is also fully behind the Netflix hit, whose third season is on Rotten Tomatoes perfect press score of 100 (!) percent enjoys. No wonder that the new season is also included in our ranking of the best series of the year.
Jonathan Bailey called it catharsis. I call it a plaster for the wounds of all queer (inner) children and people who have always felt somehow different and wrong – and an invitation to empathy. If everyone over and under 40 watched Heartstopper, the world would undoubtedly be a better place.