Heartstopper Forever: Hitting Audiences in the Feels One Last Time

Gracing Netflix screens for three seasons running from 2022-2024, Heartstopper, based on the popular LGBTQ+ young adult graphic novel series written and illustrated by Alice Oseman. Following the coming-of-age romance between British schoolboys Charlie Spring (Joe Locke) and Nick Nelson (Kit Connor), the legions of fans of the graphic novel series flocked to the television series adaptation, making it one of the most popular on Netflix during its original run. Now when it comes to popular Netflix series, they do not always get the most graceful exits, finding themselves cancelled more often than not. Unlike those series, fans of Heartstopper stood up and got the series a proper finale, foregoing a fourth and final season in favor of a wrap-up film, aptly-titled Heartstopper Forever. Giving the series, and its characters, as well as its fans, the kind of closure they deserve. Growing up in front of our eyes, the film sets our fateful characters on a path moving forward, but that path was not an easy one. As school comes to an end and characters start to go their separate ways, navigating love and friendship in the face of growing up and moving on. A compelling progression in the journeys of these characters, the film feels like the fourth season of Heartstopper without shortchanging anything.

As mentioned, Heartstopper Forever saw characters at a crossroads, with some moving on from school, and others approaching their last years with a newfound confidence. Meanwhile, Nick and Charlie, the prototypical soulmates and model couple, faced their own challenges as Nick prepared for university and Charlie approaching school with a polar opposite level of confidence and independence unlike that of the three seasons of the series. That being said, now, they were faced with the realities of what a long-distance relationship would entail. What may have seemed like the perfect couple on the surface, they, and all the other couples in the series, were inundated with doubt that their relationship could survive, especially for two people that have been tied at the hip for so long. Putting their relationship to the test, Nick and Charlie’s roles were essentially reversed, as doubt about whether or not they could survive as a couple continued to creep in. Forcing them to look deep within themselves both as individuals, and as a couple, Charlie looked to handle that pressure better than Nick. Throwing them for a loop, despite plenty of ups and downs, their love for one another could break through and persevere through anything, but they had to get there on their own.

Making the most out of the time they had left, keeping in the spirit of the series, there was some fun to be had amongst the characters. However, now that they are grown up, there was also a time to be serious, as the realities of their respective futures inched closer. On the other hand, the series’ other prominent couple, Tao (Gao) and Elle (Finney), saw similar issues, as the notion of a long-distance relationship pushed a couple that was already drifting apart even further. Adding to the drama of Nick and Charlie’s relationship issues, the others were left to pick up the pieces as the relationships around them appeared to crumble. Putting their friendship above all else, Nick and Charlie’s plight did not go unnoticed by Tao, Elle, and Isaac (Tobie Donovan). Looking to cheer up their friend who was down in the dumps, Tao and Elle set their differences aside to help Charlie, and it was nice to see the gang back together. Nick, in the meantime, had some serious soul searching to do in finding himself again. Picking up on Nick’s anxiety, Charlie tried to take care of him like he did, but he was not as in touch with his feelings as Charlie and that was something he had to figure out. While the film focuses heavily on Nick and Charlie, and developing them and their relationship moving forward, it doesn’t shortchange the other characters as they are given room to grow and thrive within their story.  

Without giving anything away, Oseman, the writer of all the episodes of the series and this film, her care and devotion to her characters is felt all the way until the end. Packing a fourth season’s worth of story into Heartstopper Forever, she delivers a compelling story that does not only Nick and Charlie justice, but also the other characters as they grow up and move on from Truham. Giving audiences one more captivating Nick and Charlie storyline to latch onto, the film will hit them in the feels just as much, if not more than the series ever did. From the start, Heartstopper has been carried by the dynamic of Connor and Locke, as Nick and Charlie. Their performances have taken audiences on an emotional roller coaster, developing an emotional connection across three seasons and now one film. Their phenomenal chemistry has been the highlight, and that remains the case here. In the film, they take their performances to a whole new level as it requires them to dig even deeper into roles they’ve grown accustomed to. Up for the challenge, the film is an individual showcase that shows how far they have come, as Connor and Locke end on a high note.

Heartstopper Forever gives fans of the franchise a fitting finale that does the characters justice, while hitting audiences in the feels one last time.

still courtesy of Netflix

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Keith Noakes

The EIC of the coincidentally-named keithlovesmovies.com. A Canadian who prefers to get out of the cold and into the warmth of a movie theatre.