Young Hearts***
Director: Anthony Schatteman (2DEZIT, Northern Lights)
With Lou Goossens, Marius De Saeger, Geert Van Rampelberg, Emilie De Roo, Dirk Van Dyck, Wim Opbrouck, Saar Rogiers,…
Playing time: 97′
Go see it if you liked Call me by your Name & Close, but also Het Smelt, Julie Zwijgt & Zeevonk.
The story: Elias (14) is attracted to his new neighbor Alexander (14). He soon realizes that he is truly in love for the first time. The conversations with his friends and family raise more questions than answers. Confused by his developing feelings, he seeks clarity and closer contact with Alexander.
Our verdict: MoviePulpers, since 2022 it has been relatively quiet in the field of major prizes for Flemish film. Film year 2022 was a legendary year with prizes in Cannes for Close, War Pony, Tori et Lokita & De Acht Bergen and successors such as Holly & Augure, on the other hand, performed somewhat below par. However, there has been some light at the end of the tunnel for a while with Skunk, Julie Zwijgt & Small Things Like These, who have won some prizes in the alternative circuit. In that alternative circuit, Zeevonk remained somewhat under the radar, comparable to the new Young Hearts. It has had a relatively interesting career with awards at Berlinale, Zlin, Ale Kino and many awards at youth film festivals.
Comparing Young Hearts with Close is therefore the most obvious choice. Both films are from Flemish origin and have the same theme from the start vibe. And I’m not just talking about the LGBTQIA+ theme. Schatteman has already managed to bring the chemistry between many young people on camera with 2DEZIT and he does this again successfully with newcomers Lou Goossens, Marius De Saeger & Saar Rogiers. The cinematography & production design of Young Hearts is very different from 2DEZIT, because it looks more like Het Smelt or Zeevonk. In terms of silence between the dialogues, there are parallels with Julie Zwijgt. Yet this time we hand out the prize to Dirk Van Dyck, who struck a chord with us several times with his tender performance as an elderly widower. The viewing experience of Young Hearts is carried in crescendo to the end by his work on the silver screen and the rest of the cast cleverly picks up on this. Geert Van Rampelberg also plays his role as a Flemish charm singer excellently. With a running time of around 100 minutes, Jonge Harten is accessible, but it is not as smooth as the other Flemish films previously mentioned in this review. Let alone that it can match the mighty editing of Call me by your Name.
In short, Close comes back to life with Young Hearts. Another tender film from Flemish soil for GenZ, to be seen in Belgian cinemas from this week.
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