Young Hearts might as well be a paint-by-numbers gay pre-teen coming of age drama, and yet, I fell in love with its charming love story. It takes quite the careful touch to toe the line between what feels too risque to be watching unfolding with fourteen-year-old boys. Against all odds, Young Hearts manages to find a unique balancing of elements to remind nostalgic viewers of the power of love, at any age.
Elias (Lou Goossens) and his sister, Valerie (Saar Rogiers), live in home with a musically-inclined father on the brink of success. A new family moves in next door—the suave boy, Alexander (Marius De Saegar), immediately catches the eye of Elias. Later that day, Alexander ends up in Elias’s class, sitting only a few rows away. Elias’s friends soon introduce him to Alexander, as if they don’t already live directly next to one another. All signs in the universe seem to be pointing Elias to Alexander. Director Anthony Schatteman uses close ups and longing glances to portray the burgeoning affection Elias has towards Alexander. If those feelings did not exist prior, the exploration of sexuality in someone so young serves to fascinate as well as inform.
Goossens runs away with the film a bit, with Elias having the most significant arc. Coming out of the closet or not, Elias changes immeasurably from where he starts at the beginning to where he ends. His lies build, and the strangeness of Alexander becomes too alluring to resist. Elias tries his hardest to supress those feelings, or ignore them in front of others. Tigers ultimately cannot change their stripes; neither can Elias. Try as he might, those same-sex feelings refuse to lay dormant.
I am beginning to surmise that no matter the age, boys riding on bikes together generally makes for a strong queer movie. Between Call Me By Your Name, Summer of 85, and so many others, the trend has become quite telling. Elias and Alexander may not be the next Oliver and Elio, but they don’t need to be either. Schatteman commits to following Elias as a character rather than a sole focus on the romance angle. Still, Young Hearts never leaves that romance to the wayside either. The tone dances to the same beat as Netflix’s runaway hit, Heartstopper. There are enough cutesy moments of connection here for lovers of gay cinema to latch onto, and a costume party gives visual flair to the outfits.
Perhaps Young Hearts could be dinged for originality. We have so many similar coming-of-age movies where the central character must come to terms with their sexuality, then eventually have to come out of the closet. Certainly, Young Hearts fits that bill. What sets this apart though are the execution, performances, and aura of positivity. We don’t need to wallow in gay bashings, or ruthless child bullying. Elias’s friends and those who surround him seem far more comfortable with homosexuality than the jerks I went to school with. Presenting a wonderful worldview and a textured lushness to its characters, Young Hearts will give hope to audiences of all ages that love is out there waiting to be uncovered.
Young Hearts screened at 2024’s Berlinale Film Festival.
Valerie is Elias’s gf at the beginning. She stays over. It’s his brother (Maxime) he lives with.