Writer and Director: Anthony Schatteman
If Hallmark made films about young gay teenagers falling in love, then this would be it. Even the title, Young Hearts, is a good fit for the brand, and the long saccharine slow-mo of the final scene will harden even the softest of hearts. But story and style aside, we should be thankful such films are made if they can give support to queer youth.
However, they don’t need to be so sickly sweet. And following the template of many coming-out films, there are few surprises here. Apart from the age of the protagonists, Anthony Schatteman’s Young Hearts offers us little new.
When Alexander moves across the road from Elias in a village outside Brussels, the two boys quickly become pals. Alexander, with the odd painted nail, is welcomed into Elias’s friendship group, all aged around 13 or 14, perhaps. Elias is going out with one of the girls, but he is drawn to Alex’s confident demeanour. While Elias proclaims that he has never been in love, Alex talks of a boyfriend he once had back in Brussels. Soon, Elias and Alexander are exchanging chaste kisses.
There are a few barriers to their relationship. There is the saintly ex-girlfriend, who, in these kinds of films, gets over the betrayal pretty quickly, and there are some faceless bullies who chase Elias and Alexander through the countryside on their bikes. There is a surly elder brother and some purloined alcohol. But there is little jeopardy here. In an effort to create a safe future for queer youth, Schatteman’s characters are endlessly supportive, especially some members of Alexander’s family who run a drag cabaret in the capital.
A subplot is far more interesting. Elias’s father, in his middle age, becomes a local celebrity in the village, releasing and performing cheesy love songs; “First love makes you feel alive,” he sings. His two sons have to grapple with the embarrassment that comes from having a lounge singer for a father. But, of course, this challenge is eventually overcome.
As the two young lovers, Lou Goossens (Elias) and Marius De Saeger (Alexander) deliver compelling performances, ensuring that the audience craves a happy ending. And in that way, Young Hearts doesn’t disappoint. But in the end, this film seems more like wishful thinking than reality.
