Synopsis
Elias, a 14-year-old from the Belgian countryside, forms a friendship with his new neighbor, Alexander, a confident and headstrong boy from Brussels. As the two grow closer, Alexander reveals that he was in love with a boy and asks Elias if he has experienced true love, a question that lingers in his mind.
For the first time, Elias begins to understand the depth of his feelings as he starts to fall in love with Alexander. However, overwhelmed by fear of judgment and rejection, Elias denies his emotions, distancing himself from his friends, family, and Alexander to hide his truth. Consumed by loneliness and regret, Elias struggles with the weight of his decisions.
A heartfelt conversation with his grandfather, who shares a story of his enduring love for his late wife, inspires Elias to confront his fears. Realizing that love is too precious to let slip away, he gathers the courage to reconcile with Alexander, taking a brave step toward embracing his feelings and the possibility of love.
Production
Young Hearts is the debut directing feature film for Anthony Schatteman featuring Lou Goossens and Marius De Saeger in the main roles, with Geert Van Rampelberg, Emilie De Roo, and Dirk Van Dyck playing pivotal supporting roles. The film is produced by Polar Bear, in co-production with the Belgian Kwassa Films and the Dutch Family Affair Films. [3]
The development of the film began in 2019 and spanned four years. Production of the film was first announced by Anthony Schatteman in a Facebook post on 31 May 2022. [4] The production team spent six months scouting suitable filming locations. Open casting calls began on 20 September 2022, focusing on filling the main roles with boys aged 11 to 18. [5] Director Anthony Schatteman, alongside his best friend and the film's Children's Coach, Oliver Roels, reviewed over 1,500 auditions. Marius De Saeger was the first actor cast, as his personality and personal life closely aligned with the character of Alexander. Lou Goossens was later selected for the role of Elias, chosen for his natural connection with De Saeger and the parallels between his personal life and that of the character. Filming commenced in August 2023 and was completed over a span of 28 days. [6]
The film's narrative draws heavily from Schatteman's own youth and personal experiences. In an interview with the Teddy Award, he described it as the film he "needed or wanted to see" during his adolescence. Schatteman aimed to create a universal coming-of-age story that could resonate with viewers of all ages. He emphasized the film's focus on romance, drawing inspiration from his own life, and its intent to evoke strong emotions. The story centers on themes of identity, self-discovery, and the struggles of growing up. [7]
Reception
On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes , 100% of 16 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 7.6/10. [18]
Aurore Engelen reviewing the film at Berlinale for Cineuropa wrote, "Young Hearts is an authentic coming-of-age tale which enriches the existing body of family films with a wonderful queer love story." [19]
Catherine Bray writing in Variety praised Lou Goossens, for being "naturalistic and able to convey subtle shades of inner turmoil, despite his young age." Praising director Anthony Schatteman for his direction wrote, "his direction feels calm and quietly confident in ways that is not always the case with a debut." Concluding her review she opined, "Young Hearts, while gentler and less obviously tear-jerking, benefits from a sincere and lived-in emotional honesty which serves its aims well." [20]
Hayley Croke reviewing at Berlinale in Loud And Clear Reviews awarded 3.5 stars and wrote, "Young Hearts, beautifully encapsulates the feelings of having your first love in its entirety." Croke concluded, "While a love story, Young Hearts really is a story about coming into yourself as a young person and the decisions you have to make in the quest to find who you are." [21]
Amber Wilkinson reviewing at Berlinale in Eye For Film awarded 3.5 stars and wrote, "This coming-of-age drama gently probes the insecurities experienced by a teenager as he explores his sexuality." Wilkinson opined, "It may be a little sentimental at the edges, but the heart of Anthony Schatteman's film is in the right place." [22]
Laslo Rojas Contreras reviewing at Berlinale in Cinencuentro wrote, "Young Hearts is a film that offers a positive perspective on gay relationships, and tries to challenge the stereotypes and prejudices that still exist within society, yet perhaps in a way that is too light for the current times." [23]
Alexa Dalby reviewing at Berlinale in Dog and Wolf rated the film with three stars and wrote, "The boys' performances are outstanding." Concluding Dalby wonders, "how much the film is influenced by 1976 disco song "Young Hearts Run Free" by Candi Staton?" [24]
Beatrice Loayza, writing in The New York Times wrote "Young Hearts" is a more wholesome, and ultimately more cliché, endeavor. In the end, teenage brooding gives way to a sparkling fairy tale finale that shows that there was nothing for Elias to worry about, after all." [25]
Gary M. Kramer, reviewing the film for Gay City News, lavished praise on the performances of Goossens and De Saeger, writing, "Goossens carries the film, effortlessly, and he is well matched by De Saeger, who is appropriately more relaxed and comfortable in his own skin as Alexander. De Saeger's responses to Elias' discomfort are real, and it creates a real investment for viewers to want the boys to end up together." [26]
Diego Semerene, of Slant Magazine, awarded the film 3 out 4 stars, writing, "Tenderly observed, writer-director Anthony Schatteman's film offers the rare opportunity to indulge in a fantasy where the risks of queer love going public are anodyne, even negligible, while also leaving room for a casual critique of what we could perhaps call Nordic parenting, where children enjoy so much autonomy but are also left to their own devices." [27]
Robert Daniels of RogerEbert.com also gave the film 3 out of 4 stars and praised Schatteman's direction, writing, "Schattenman trusts his young leads, often allowing his gentle lens to linger on their faces as new thoughts, feelings, and passions bubble to the surface." [28]
G. Allen Johnson, writing in the San Francisco Chronicle, gave the film 3 out of 4 stars and praised the performance of Goossens as "astonishingly subtle". Writing about the film, he said, "Young Hearts" is a film that doesn't traffic in big plot twists or dramatic reveals. It's a film that treasures fragile thoughts and feelings, rare in a film these days." [29]
