It’s no secret that popular rom-coms stay away from featuring LGBTQ characters in the main storyline. There’s the stereotype of the gay best friend or the lesbian roommate, but hardly ever do we see a different kind of love story in the spotlight. Writer and director Clea DuVall decided to break that stereotype and tell a beautiful lesbian story front and center with her latest movie, Happiest Season.
How Happiest Season Made History
Happiest Season was written by Clea DuVall and stars prominent LGBTQ actress, Kristen Stewart, telling the story of a lesbian couple in a Christmas movie. Schitt’s Creek star Dan Levy is also part of the production. DuVall has long been open about her orientation, and she even played in But I’m a Cheerleader, an LGBTQ comedy from 20 years ago, and more recently in Veep.
The Movie Represents an Underexplored Romantic Experience
DuVall says that a big reason for wanting to make this movie is because growing up and being a fan of holiday rom-coms, she never saw her experience represented in that movie genre. So, she decided to create the movie she always wanted to see. It took some time to make it happen, including DuVall transitioning from acting to directing and writing, but she eventually got to do it.
Happiest Season tells the story of Harper (Mackenzie) taking her girlfriend Abby (Kristen) to her family over for Christmas. So far so good, until Harper tells Abby her family thinks she’s straight. Will Abby handle pretending to be straight? In true best friend fashion, Abby’s bestie John (played by Dan Levy) shows up to remind her every person’s coming out story is incredibly personal and it takes time to get the courage to do it. Will they get their happy ending? Only one way to find out!