At this point, the success of a gay coming-of-age story can be measured most acutely by its tendency to fall into tropes, or its ability to transcend them. In the canon of gay films, the coming out tale has been told ad nauseam. Some of the most trite, straight-palatable representation has come in this form, populated by the same locker-slamming bullies and homophobic fathers over and over again.
So, what makes Young Hearts any different? The Belgian film follows 14-year-old Elias, a boy whose life in a small village of Brussels is shaken up by the arrival of new kid Alexander at school. Despite having an equally pre-pubescent girlfriend, Elias starts to develop feelings for Alexander, who has already accepted his attraction to boys and even has an ex-boyfriend already (!).
Lou Goossens and Marius De Saeger
While Young Hearts isn’t exactly reinventing the wheel, it’s a notably authentic take on the gay coming-of-age story with enough originality to help it stand out from its peers. It’s neither too playful nor too dark, balancing its joy evenly with its sorrow and ending on a tender note.
Fortunately, although Young Hearts is about early adolescents, it never feels like it’s made for that age group. It carries an air of dramatic realism that will appeal mostly to adult audiences, and keeps the story from feeling trivial or saccharine. The kids here talk like kids and laugh at the things kids laugh at. Schatterman wrote Young Hearts about his own childhood and shot it in his native village, an authentic connection that is palpable throughout the film.
Lou Goossens and Marius De Saeger
In his first feature lead role, Lou Gossens shines as Elias, whose struggle with his identity culminates in a heart-wrenching scene where he declares his love for Alex to his mother in the car.
While Elias’s mother reassures and embraces him, his older brother sits silently in the passenger seat without looking back at him. The camera lingers on him, then cuts back to Elias watching his back. It doesn’t feel like a rejection, nor a full-on acceptance. Just an earnest ambiguous reaction, and a reminder of the film’s refusal to oversimplify its relationships.
Young Hearts treats its young lovers’ feelings with more reverence than you might expect, but its most compelling relationship is ultimately Elias’s relationship with himself. It’s easy to imagine this schoolyard crush dissipating over the years, but Elias’s journey to self-acceptance leaves a longer-lasting impact.
Lou Goossens and Emilie De Roo
Young Hearts
drama | 127 minutes | Belgium, Netherlands | in Dutch and French with English Subtitles
at IFC Center in New York until March 27, 2025 & Laemmle’s Royal and Noho 7 in L.A til March 20
for more screenings, visit Strand Releasing
