Movie Review: Young Hearts

Elias (Lou Goossens) lives an outwardly happy life in rural Belgium. He has a good group of friends, a steady girlfriend (Saar Rogiers), a loving mother (Emilie De Roo), a successful schlager-singer father (Geert Van Rampelberg), and a kind grandfather (Dirk Van Dijck) with a farm nearby. Hanging with his classmates and bicycling through the beautiful countryside it can almost feel like a fairy tale existence. That is until a new family moves in next door and he notices Alexander (Marius De Saeger), a boy his age who stirs something inside of him that he doesn’t understand.

At school the next day, his friends welcome Alexander into the group and as he gets to know him, Elias finds himself increasingly drawn to him. Since they live so close they spend more and more time together, and Elias begins to question everything about himself. When Alexander expresses romantic interest in him, he is elated but also scared of what it means for himself. He knows he’s falling in love with his new friend but terrified of what the people around him will think. This conflict causes him to grow sullen and closed off, risking damaging his relationships with everyone he cares about, including Alexander.

Anyone who remembers the awkward and disorienting experience of first love will have their hearts melted by this movie. Even more so if they can relate to the turmoil that comes along with first discovering you might be queer. While Alexander comes from Brussels where attitudes are more open and accepting, in Elias’ small town there are no openly gay couples to pave the way and queerness itself is still flung around as an insult. It can be intensely isolating, needing to talk to someone but not knowing if you can for fear of their response.

Goossens nails the role of Elias, proving to be one of the most naturally expressive young actors to come along in years. His performance feels so real that it’s impossible not to feel every emotion with him: hope, joy, pain, sadness, anger, and more. De Saeger is equally endearing as Alexander, with an easygoing and winsome charm. The two display believable chemistry making them easy to root for and I suspect big things lie ahead for each.

In his script, writer / director Anthony Schatteman follows the usual romance movie beats, but by transcribing them into the coming-of-age experience of a gay teen he breathes new life into them. When the obstacle that threatens to tear them apart is a struggle with self-acceptance it feels far more real than the typical, contrived nonsense, and lends the story even more emotional heft.

With lovely, natural cinematography by Pieter Van Campe, a story that believably strikes at themes many will relate to, and a stellar young cast, Young Hearts is one of the best films of the year so far. It’s full of heart, emotionally resonant, and exactly the sort of movie I wish existed when I was that age. By the end, it feels like these characters are real people, and I will never forget them. ★★★★★