You may not believe me, but since its release on Amazon Prime on Friday, August 11, I’ve watched the movie Red, White & Royal Blue a total of 115 times. I expected to like it, but not nearly this much. I often forget how much representation really matters until I experience it firsthand. This film really represents.
When Love, Simon was released five years ago, I saw it in the theater six or seven times. I remember seeing an older gay couple in the audience and wondered why they’d be at a YA rom-com. I quickly realized it’s because they didn’t have the opportunity to see themselves represented on the big screen when they were young adults themselves. Matthew Lopez, Taylor Zakhar Perez, and Nicholas Galitzine, gave us a great gift when they created this film, and it’s a gift for us all, not just the LGBTQ+ community.
Movies really can be magical. I experienced several instances of movie magic throughout my movie-going years. I remember seeing The Goonies for the first time at the Iowa Theatre on the east side of the Bloomfield, Iowa square. That entire movie is full of magic, but one scene stood out for me. After a bathroom break while navigating the underground caves on the way to One-Eyed Willie’s treasure, Mikey got his first kiss. It came from his older brother, Brand’s lady love, Andy, who thought she was kissing Brand. I was around Mikey’s age at the time, still awaiting a first kiss of my own, and that scene was truly magical.
Many years later while watching Love Actually one chilly December afternoon at the Galleria 6 Cinema in the basement of the St. Louis Galleria, I got swept up in the magic of Christmastime in London. That entire movie too is full of magic, and once again, one scene stood out. While Keira Knightley’s character, Juliet, watches the wedding video her new husband’s best friend, Mark, recorded of her, she realizes Mark, who she thought hated her, is actually hopelessly in love with her. As Keira’s character came to that realization, I realized it at exactly the same time! To come to that realization at precisely the same time as the character on screen was truly magical.
Then, this summer, Red, White & Royal Blue arrived. Much like Henry captured Alex’s heart in the movie, the movie itself captured my heart, in a very big way. While The Goonies ranked as my favorite movie for the past 38 years, Red, White & Royal Blue just knocked it off the top spot. I could watch it endlessly, and have, without ever tiring of a single frame.
While I have many favorite parts, one stands out. Each time I watch, if I’m multitasking or paying attention to something other than what’s on screen, this draws me back in every single time. It’s the moment Alex literally makes Henry’s childhood dream come true. He simply pulls the phone from his pocket in order to play the music for their dance at the museum. It’s truly magical.
For all the love that Matthew, Taylor, Nicholas, and the entire cast and crew, poured into this movie, I will be forever grateful. My existence is as valid as anyone else’s. I need and deserve to see it represented. This film makes me feel very well represented. As a small thank you to the filmmakers, I wrote a little poem in their honor. 😊
Represent
Inspired by the soulful work of Nicholas Galitzine, Taylor Zakhar Perez, Matthew Lopez, and the entire cast and crew of Red, White & Royal Blue
It’s often way too easy
To assume we are alone,
And no one knows the heartache
We feel deep within in our bones.
While logic may assure us
That our fear’s simply untrue,
In solitary moments,
I see only me, not you.
I’m utterly convinced
I walk alone upon this path.
So maybe they were right –
My sin resulted in God’s wrath.
But then I see a story
That turns my tale on its head –
A story about love,
And I see me within its thread.
A real-life fairytale about
A boy meeting his prince,
Depicted honestly,
From which the camera doesn’t wince.
I see the prince is weary
Of the judgement and the shame
Heaped onto him by others.
I admit, I feel the same.
It’s rare to find my story
Represented on the screen.
For as a general rule,
Lives like mine have gone unseen.
So when such a portrayal
Told in such a brilliant way
Is broadcast to the masses,
There is nothing left to say.
I need representation.
I’m as valid as are you.
To those who tell our story,
I am so grateful. Thank you!
