By Cameron Scheetz
Image Credit: ‘Heartstopper Forever,’ Netflix
Not to be a downer—it’s just true. Even those of us who are lucky enough to find happy, healthy relationships at a young age know that sometimes when we grow up, we grow apart, and that’s okay.
But therein lies the question looming over Heartstopper Forever, the conclusion of Netflix’s adaptation of Alice Oseman’s beloved graphic novels: How can we possible say goodbye to these characters, sending them off in a way that they deserve while staying true to the heart and soul of the series that made us fall for them in the first place?
Because as much of a feel-good watch as Heartstopper‘s always been, it’s always been grounded in reality, and hasn’t been afraid to address the pain and hurt that can comes with coming-of-age, coming out, and falling in love.
Since it premiered in 2022, we’ve watch Charlie Spring and Nick Nelson (Kit Connor) face it all together. Charlie had to cope with being one of the only out kids at school, Nick had to come to terms with his bisexual identity, and the pair had to face their fears of admitting their true feelings to one another.
Then, as Charlie and Nick matured, the series did, too, addressing themes like mental health, absent parents, disordered eating, and even their first time sleeping together.
And that’s to say nothing of their friends, all oh whom have been on their own journeys of self-discovery: Tara (Corinna Brown) and Darcy (Kizzy Edgell) had to navigate their evolution from friendship to something more, Imogen (Rhea Norwood) and Isaac (Tobie Donovan) have learned to embrace their individual identities on their terms, and Tao (William Gao) has grappled with his feelings for Elle (Yasmin Finney) who, at the beginning of the series, had to contend with moving to a new school after coming out as trans.
Now, after three seasons, the special feature film-length Heartstopper Forever finds them all wondering about the same thing: What does the future hold?
From out director Wash Westmoreland (Still Alice, Colette), the film catches up with the group at the beginning of the school year. Having found confidence through his relationship with Nick, Charlie is stepping into his power—and in a leadership position at Truham Grammar.
Meanwhile, many of their other mates are thinking about graduation and fretting over university. Nick, for his part, is excited by the prospect of a school in Leeds, but it’s a few hours away, and the thought of not having Charlie nearby has him wondering who he is and what he wants from life outside of their relationship.
If you’ve been loyally keeping up with Oseman’s graphic novels, you’ll know where things are headed (the last chapter & epilogue have already been published online, but will be available in print when the final Volume 8 hits shelves July 2).
If not, the trailer offers a few glimpses of the emotional rollercoaster ride ahead, including: a raucous concert for Charlie’s band, a brutal rugby brawl for Nick, the group heading to a Pride parade—and their first gay bar!—graduation, a cameo for legendary out actor Derek Jacobi, and plenty of nods to where this love story all began, which is getting us teary-eyed just thinking about it—we’ve literally watched them all grow up on-screen!
So, when it comes to bringing the story of Heartstopper to an end, we have a feeling Forever is going to feel like a satisfying conclusion for Charlie & Nick that still gives us hope for the future. We guess we’re optimists then!
