She should break up with her – or at least take a long pause – until Harper grapples with her demons. She should be mad at her for making her feel less than her full, authentic self. Abby should be angry with Harper for putting her back in the closet. But doing damage to others in the process of people figuring out who they are is never OK. It's true that no universal coming out story exists. That maybe it's OK that Harper was outed this way because hey, at least she's out and can be with Abby, finally! Yay!
There seems to be a narrative in the film that everyone's coming out story is different. Her sister Sloane (Alison Brie) outs her at a Christmas party – an awful and unnecessary scene that strips away any type of agency Harper hopes to regain, and leaves Abby never knowing if Harper would have told her family in the first place. What's worse is that Harper never comes out on her own. When Harper pulls Abby away from time with Riley, it's clear Harper is the film's villain. The chemistry between them as friends, and maybe something more, is palpable and refreshing (and I was not alone in rooting for them).
The pair spend time together in a gay bar – perhaps the safest scene in the movie – and seem most comfortable with themselves. The healthiest relationship on screen was actually between Abby and Riley (Aubrey Plaza), Harper's secret childhood girlfriend . This film had an opportunity to explore what a healthy gay relationship looks like. One that could still include romantic comedy hijinks but also tell a deeper, more fully realized LGBTQ story. I would have loved to watch a romance blossom on screen between two people who accepted themselves and each other. Think about films like "Call Me By Your Name" (which, yes, was controversial in its own right) and "Moonlight." Or "God's Own Country," "Portrait of a Lady on Fire" and "BPM (Beats Per Minute)." None of these required a coming-out narrative to tell a meaningful LGBTQ story (though most are still sad, and shows how far film has to go in telling a wider range of LGBTQ cinema). There is such a thing as gay joy, and heartbreak unrelated to the feeling of being closeted. Yes, LGBTQ people don't see themselves on screen nearly as much as straight counterparts. But that doesn't mean we only deserve "coming out" movies. Gay people, myself included, likely rolled their eyes at the film's premise: Another coming out movie? Yes, it's a big deal that movies like "Happiest Season" and "Love, Simon" exist. 'I feel like I know myself more': Kristen Stewart on embracing queerness, 'radical' new 'Happiest Season' But a more nuanced, fleshed-out movie could have gone beyond the trite. This isn't a knock on DuVall, as the film is inspired partly by her own coming out experience. I didn't need to watch a movie like this and relive it.
Harper generally leaves Abby to spend time with others throughout the film – mirroring her avoidance toward revealing her sexual orientation.įor some LGBTQ viewers, watching a movie like this resurfaces the horrors of being closeted – I say this as someone unpacking demons of my own after being closeted for 22 years.
The movie turns into less of a romantic comedy and more of a claustrophobic, "unhappy" season of the horror that is being trapped in the closet.Ībby and Harper stay in separate bedrooms and have to sneak around to get any alone time Harper denies being gay in front of her whole family and Abby lies to Harper's mother (Mary Steenburgen) and says that her gay best friend (Levy) is actually her ex-boyfriend, for starters. The wrinkle: Harper's family doesn't know she's gay. Abby is ready to propose to Harper and plans to do so at Harper's parents' house over Christmas. "Happiest Season" tells the story of Abby (Stewart) and Harper (Mackenzie Davis), a lesbian couple in love. What it turned into, however, was a poor example of what a healthy gay relationship and a healthy coming out story should look like – especially with a glaring lack of such examples in mainstream media. " Happiest Season" on Hulu had all the ingredients to be a good, groundbreaking Christmas movie: actual gay people behind (director and co-writer Clea DuVall) and in front (Kristen Stewart, Dan Levy, Victor Garber) of the camera a trailer that promised a story of acceptance and a prime-time holiday season streaming release. Watch Video: 'Happiest Season': Kristen Stewart on her new LGBTQ Christmas rom-com