The most significant aspect of the human experience in the texts I studied, Billy Elliot by Stephen Daldry and Love Simon by Greg Berlanti and Becky Albertalli is overcoming of adversity. Overcoming adversity is defined as “prevailing despite difficulties, successfully solving a problem or defeating an opponent, or being consumed by something.” 'Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay Love Simon is a film about the protagonist Simon Spier, who keeps his sexual orientation a secret from his family. However, when a blackmailer threatens to reveal him, he embarks on an eventful journey to overcome adversity and come to terms with his identity. This concept of coming to terms with identity is similar to the text prescribed by Billy Elliot. Billy Elliot is about a boy who finds his passion for dance, in a male society that has strong gender values. The depiction of Billy overcoming adversity is shown in many ways through the use of techniques such as symbolism. Doors in Billy Elliot are used to symbolically represent transitions into new phases of life and life experiences. These doors also describe the resistance that some characters experience upon entering the new worlds that these transitions signify. An example of this is the scene where Billy's father finds Billy at a ballet class, he aggressively pushes Billy through the door of the ballet school into the familiar old world. In medium shot, Billy turns to look back at the new world he is discovering, which is ballet, while Jackie looks forward. This represents the changing nature of Billy's desires which are completely different from his father's. Billy is expected to be a normal boy, yet he knows he isn't and needs to come to terms with his identity. On the other hand, this idea is contradictory in "Love Simon". When Simon describes himself at the beginning of the film, the word he repeats is “normal”. He describes how his family is normal, his friends are normal, and that everything in his life is normal. However, one thing about Simon is not normal. Simone is gay. Due to the unfair intolerance at his school (as the only gay student who comes out is constantly mocked), Simon feels he has to keep this secret to himself and fears that someone will find out about his sexuality. However, after a classmate left an anonymous post on the school blog about the difficulties of being gay and linked his email, Simon decided to contact him anonymously and is happy to finally have someone who understands him. Through correspondence with the other student, who is called "Blue", Simon begins to come to terms with who he is and realizes, with the help of his friends and family, that being gay makes him slightly different, but it's still normal. Most films lack LGBTQ-identifying characters, and on the rare occasions when there are any, the gay male is given the role of sassy and confidant, and is usually there for the sole purpose of adding diversity to the film. However, in "Love, Simon", the gay character is not only the protagonist but has an identity that goes far beyond his sexual orientation. Simon has more physically assertive moments in the film as he defends himself from both Martin and his classmates. who make fun of him in the canteen. These seemingly "masculine" actions are not typical while depicting stereotypical characters and help Simon develop his originality. Simon's character shatters almost every expectation one might have about homosexuality. His appearance, mannerisms and clothes are not stereotyped and reinforce the fact that identity is within, not.