Happiest Season is the first mainstream festive film release about a same-sex couple. It feels like something we should have experienced some time ago.
“It’s a gay Christmas movie,” says Kristen Stewart. “And I know that’s an annoying thing to label it right off the bat, but, for me, that is extremely attractive”
The familiar plot follows a couple navigating the conservative family dynamics they return to for the festive period. While the narrative has been criticised by some as stereotypical and tired - a closeted gay person hiding their sexual identity to their family - being the first of its kind, we might be able to forgive its reliance on these tropes. Not only is it the first mainstream gay Christmas movie, but the queer characters are actually played by queer actors, an achievement that shouldn’t be significant but is in light of Hollywood’s history of problematic casting. In this interview with the two leads, Stewart describes the lack of queer lead representation she saw growing up and the pride she feels now being part of this major touchstone.
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