Breaking Down the Emotional Ending of Heartstopper Forever

In Heartstopper Forever, Nick spends so much time caring for Charlie and helping him through his eating disorder that he loses sight of who he is as an individual, which leads to self-loathing and overwhelming anxiety. 

“For them to really step into their futures together, I felt like they needed to figure that out about their relationship,” says Oseman. “That comes to a head in this breakup, where they convince themselves that the other person will be better off without them—it’s such a Nick and Charlie way to break up.”

Though Heartstopper Forever expresses the pair’s heartbreak over their relationship ending, there’s plenty of good news: they do, in fact, get back together. After some difficult time apart, Nick and Charlie reunite at the beach—the very same one where they first said they loved each other at the end of Season 1.

Throughout the film, friends constantly remind Nick and Charlie that they’re soulmates. But as the pair learn, love is a lot more complicated than that. “I don’t believe in the concept of soulmates,” says Oseman. “It’s an interesting contradiction, because Nick and Charlie do feel like soulmates. But I think the conversation Nick has with his mum towards the end is so important.” In that conversation, Nick’s mother (Anna Maxwell Martin) tells him, “Love isn’t some cosmic force. It’s a choice. It’s a choice you make every day.”