Dan Levy stars opposite Kristen Stewart in Happiest Season. (Hulu)
A pivotal moment from Happiest Season, Kristen Stewart’s lesbian Christmas rom-com, is hitting queer viewers right in the feelings.
The new film, released Thursday (25 November) stars Stewart as Abby, a queer woman spending her first Christmas with her girlfriend Harper’s family.
Unbeknown to her, Harper (Mackenzie Davis) isn’t out at home, scuppering Abby’s plans to propose to her.
The film has won rave reviews, with fans and critics singling out Dan Levy for particular praise.
The Schitt’s Creek star plays Abby’s best friend John, who at a pivotal point in the film gives her some heartfelt advice about her situation.
As Abby grapples with pretending she’s just a friend of Harper’s, John asks: “What did you parents say?”
“That they loved and supported me,” she replies.
“That’s amazing. My dad kicked me out of the house and didn’t talk to me for 13 years after I told him.
“Everybody’s story is different. There’s your version and my version and everything in between. But the one thing that all of those stories have in common is that moment right before you say those words when your heart is racing and you don’t know what’s coming next. That moment’s really terrifying.
“And then once you say those words, you can’t unsay them. A chapter has ended and a new one’s begun, and you have to be ready for that.
“You can’t do it for anyone else. Just because Harper isn’t ready, it doesn’t mean she never will be and it doesn’t mean she doesn’t love you.”
i say this is the most important part of #HappiestSeason pic.twitter.com/9eqYWjMbQq
— b. (@damieclayton) November 26, 2020
Yes, we’re crying.
Happiest Season Dan Levy coming out speech ‘feels historic’ says Kristen Stewart.
Kristen Stewart singled the scene out in an interview with Variety, saying it felt particularly important.
“The moment he looks at me and describes his coming out story and encourages me to see how hard it can be from a different perspective — it feels historical,” she said.
“I’m like, we’re in a movie, but also f**k the movie! We’re in 2020, and watching him say that in that scene just feels like so different and cool.
“I feel so lucky to have been around him. In that moment, it’s like a rare opportunity to feel like — s**t, we definitely put a little flag in there.”
She also praised director Clea DuVall for “seeing the potential of that dynamic”, and Levy for having an energy “that’s easy to be uplifted by”.
“I have a tendency to be slow, emotionally speaking. I don’t know if it’s because I’m nervous — or who the f**k knows — but I sometimes will bog things down a little bit.
“In a comedy, that is just no good. And I couldn’t do that with him! I just felt like I wanted to keep up.”