I don’t think we talk about how important it is that Micke supports and even teases him about his sexuality and comes to the st. Lucia ceremony while also being an addict and being physical in a way that suggests abuse.
I say this because in nearly all LGBTQ media with minors a parent is either a perfect ally, or good in general and getting used to it, or they are both homo/transphobic and abusive in general. It is expected (at least in my conversations) that if the parent is accepting of that part of your identity with no other context , than you should be grateful and let them in. this applies to any olive branch from an abuser, but especially queer kids because not settling as a minority over the absolute bare minimum is always considered a flaw of themselves.
although Simon accepts the nice words, he still keeps his distance from his dad unless absolutely necessary and not for quality time (like getting his tutoring with the drugs) and doesn’t hide not wanting him there. this is never treated as Simón being selfish or icy.
this was healing for me. complex, not fully obvious representation of abusive patterns is so, so important. especially for viewers who see similarities in their own life