Anthony Schatteman’s Young Hearts introduces us to Elias, a shy 14-year-old living in a small Belgian town with his loving family. Though Elias gets along well with his friends, he can’t help feeling uncomfortable around his sort of girlfriend, Valerie. Everything changes when a new family moves in next door, bringing along an intriguing boy named Alexander.
Unlike shy Elias, Alexander radiates confidence as he settles into the neighborhood. Yet beneath his easygoing manner lies an understanding of what it’s like to face uncertainty about one’s identity. When Alexander casually reveals he had feelings for a boy in the past, Elias is caught off guard by a sense of recognition.
As the two boys grow closer through bike rides and afternoons by the river, Elias gradually starts to see Alexander in a new light. But coming to terms with his own emotions won’t be simple, especially in a world that still expects boys to follow certain scripts. Faced with the excitement of first love and the fear of social stigma, Elias must find the courage to stay true to his heart.
Directed with sensitivity by Schatteman in his feature debut, Young Hearts provides a gentle exploration of self-discovery among supportive friends and family. Lead actors Lou Goossens and Marius De Saeger imbue the film with emotional authenticity through their understated yet powerful performances.
Standing by the window
The film follows 14-year-old Elias, who lives with his supportive family in a small Belgian town. While he gets along with his friends, Elias feels uncertain about romantic relationships. This changes when a new neighbor moves in.
From his bedroom window, Elias spots Alexander unpacking across the street. There’s an instant spark, and soon Alexander joins Elias’ social circle. Unlike shy Elias, Alexander radiates self-assurance—yet he too faced challenges with his identity in the past.
As the boys spend more time together, cycling along countryside roads and relaxing by the river, Elias’ perspective shifts. During one conversation, Alexander casually mentions having feelings for a boy last year. This confession takes Elias by surprise, opening his eyes to unexplored possibilities.
Their bond deepens through fun adventures, like exploring an abandoned house or visiting a farm owned by Elias’ grandfather. Schatteman imbues these scenes with a growing undercurrent of emotion. It all builds to a tender moment—when heavy rain forces the boys to seek shelter, they share a first kiss that neither will forget.
While Elias doesn’t pull away, the kiss sets off inner turmoil. Unsure how to process his awakening desires, he starts distancing himself from Alexander. His perceptive mother picks up on the change, but Elias isn’t ready to confide in her.
In denial of his emerging sexuality, Elias redoubles efforts with Valerie. They dress as Romeo and Juliet for a party, though Elias secretly pines for Alexander. A trip to Brussels offers temporary relief as Elias connects with Alexander’s LGBTQ-friendly relatives.
Ultimately, the film’s moving climax arrives. Taking advice from his grandfather, Elias musters the courage to follow where his heart truly lies. Young Hearts concludes on an upbeat note as Elias embraces self-acceptance with Alexander by his side.
Life Through Young Eyes
The gorgeous visuals of Young Hearts stem from deft direction and cinematography that bring the story’s world alive. Anthony Schatteman proves a natural step into features after shorts, guiding viewers with subtle skill.
Schatteman shows a feel for tapping emotion. Scenes flow at an easygoing pace that feels lived-in. Whether swimming in the river or chatting by the side of the road, it’s clear these characters share real history. Yet tender moments also land because Schatteman finds poignancy in daily routines.
DP Pieter Van Campe elevates Scathteman’s vision. His lens embraces the rural locale as another character. Lush fields and winding waterways become both backdrops and mirrors for the ups and downs of young love. Natural light lends a summer softness to Van Campe’s frames, which soothe as much as they invite the audience closer.
Together, director and cinematographer offer complex portraits of their leads through gestures as much as dialogue. Elias especially comes to life through observation as much as action. His fears and joy unfold delicately across Goossens’ expressive face, even when words fail. Van Campe and Scathteman understand that life’s depth often lies in its simplicity.
This empathy stems from Schatteman’s proven track record with shorts. Like the most gifted storytellers, he understands adolescence from the inside. Young Hearts reflects not just its characters’ lives but the sensitivities of viewing them through younger eyes and seeing such experiences anew. Even as passions intensify, Schatteman’s guidance keeps the focus on life’s poetry within everyday paths.
Beyond the Surface
Young Hearts lives because of its performers. At the forefront, Lou Goossens and Marius De Saeger showcase a chemistry so authentic that you root for their characters from the start.
Goossens brings Elias to life with heartbreaking nuance. His expressive face reveals flickers of confusion, longing, and fear that hit deeper than words. Watching Elias come alive with discovery yet recoil with realizing how misunderstood he feels—Goossens makes it profoundly moving. He shows the secrets we keep closest, sometimes speaking the loudest.
De Saeger ensures Alexander seems as real as the day, for all his poise. His calm air hints at hard-won self-acceptance without coming across as stuffy. When talking with Elias, De Saeger’s listening feels total; you see why Elias finds solace there. Their scenes share an effortless bond that is central to the story’s soul.
Together, Goossens and De Saeger elevate material that could come across as cliché into something resonant. Their every glance says volumes yet leaves room for interpretation—much like first love itself. Young Hearts proves lucky to feature performers who bring these characters so fully to the surface while keeping their depths unknown.
Supporting actors bolster the tender dynamic. Elias’s parents, Emilie De Roo and Geert Van Rampelberg, provide layered care. Scenes showing mom’s perceptiveness or dad’s distant affection speak to the family’s messy yet mighty heart. Dirk Van Dijck also lends his grandfather wisdom that is hard-earned yet always soft.
Minor roles stick too, like Sara Rogiers gently playing Valerie—a friend hurt yet staying true to herself. Young Hearts draws you in not through grand gestures but through authentic threads between people. Credit rests with a cast committed to making each relationship and this rural community come alive from the inside out.
However soft its touch, Young Hearts taps deeply into universal cords because it sees our shared capacity for good. Its excellence in empathy stems from actors serving stories above all else. In these roles, Goossens, De Saeger, and company remind us that beneath surface differences, our hopes remain much the same.
Navigating New Feeling
Young Hearts tells a story everyone can relate to: figuring out who you are and who you care for. Still, it holds special significance for any viewer grappling with embracing a sexual identity.
The film offers something we don’t see enough: an LGBTQ experience full of warmth, handled with empathy. So often, these tales show adversity alone. Yet real life holds both failure and support, fear and acceptance. Young Hearts portrays a world where one can discover themselves surrounded by loved ones offering guidance, not grief.
How refreshing to see it coming out framed not as an ending but as a as a new chapter. Through Schatteman’s gaze, it represents less stigma than self-revelation. A gift instead of a crisis. This optimistic view nourishes those unsure if they too might be welcomed with open arms.
At its core, though, Young Hearts taps into something transcending labels. It captures the universal desire to understand feelings’s power and complexities. We’ve all experienced attraction challenging what we believe or were taught. Exploring that means venturing past easy answers into life’s messiness.
Elias’ journey echoes this. As longing for Alexander deepens, comfort zones stretch farther than planned. His navigation shows sexuality’s intricacies and how identity evolves molecule by molecule versus revolutionary revelation. Sometimes we surprise even ourselves.
Overall, Young Hearts reminds us that first encounters, be they friendships or more, rewrite our definitions. In relationships, we discover how to define home—and ourselves—in a new light. Its cast radiates this transition’s tenderness and beauty, as well as uncertainty.
By honoring love in all its forms, Young Hearts reflects a wise spirit: that compassion, not division, lifts all people to greater peace within. Its lessons apply whether navigating new feelings or supporting someone else in their voyage. Ultimately, it provides solace and inspiration to keep our hearts open wherever this winding road might lead.
Finding Yourself
Young Hearts joins a roster of films exploring what it means to feel different and fall in love. Like Close or Call Me By Your Name, it portrays the dizzy highs of first affection between boys. Where it separates is atmosphere; instead of anguish, here is liberation.
Close brought viewers into a tortured world. We suffered rejection and bullying from the protagonists. Heartstopper, too, showed that not all embrace change readily. But Young Hearts paints acceptance as the default. Alexander faces no punishment for declaring past affection. Elias’ family offers reassurance, not rejection, as truths emerge.
None would deny these tales of truth; coming out introduces complications. Yet Schatteman suggests another option, one mirroring countless experiences. That understanding need not destroy joy’s essence: new discovery and bonding between souls.
His tale follows not crisis but curiosity. Elias navigates feelings naturally, as all people do. Alexander’s steadiness demonstrates that embracing change need not destroy friendships either. Their bond brightens, illuminating love’s gentler face away from hatred’s shadows, so often dramatized.
In this, Young Hearts inspires, as it depicts. Watching liberation, not suffering, gives one the one the courage to embrace one’s whole self without shame. Schatteman’s vision says lives can flourish openly, finding beauty in newness just as in tradition, if supported by community-embracing growth. Like Elias grasps his way, so might any soul facing change, but surrounded by care, learn that joy need never cease, whatever form it takes.
The Heart of Young Hearts
What makes this film resonate isn’t flashy drama, but its profound understanding. Schatteman grasps what fuels both joy and sorrow—the vulnerable spot where affection blooms. He portrays it with empathy and care.
Through Goossens, we live Elias’ adventure inward. Each glance and feeling brings discovery. De Saeger lightens the way with confidence born of self-trust. Their bond guides without urgency, letting meaning emerge.
Support also lends strength, not constraints. Families accept without demanding explanation. Fellow travelers understand difference merely as beauty’s form, not a problem to resolve.
This approach unlocks wisdom. By meeting fear and doubt with patience, growth finds room to blossom unforced. Sadness may stir, but it fades when nourished by goodwill. In such soil, love becomes medicine, not a threat to normalcy.
It’s a vision anyone may thrive within, whatever their nature. By emphasizing our shared capacity for compassion, Young Hearts gives hope that all people deserve haven. Its gentle lessons will echo through those willing to listen.
As for Schatteman, his talent is surely just beginning to flower. Goossens and De Saeger also show gifts that, with nurturing and luck, may someday transport audiences, as Hollywood legends have. For now, it’s enough to enjoy their shaping and share in the joy and understanding they bring.
The Review
Young Hearts
Young Hearts tells an age-old story of self-discovery with modern compassion. Director Schatteman understands love's complexity and its power to both frighten and free. At the heart of this film are Goossens' and De Saeger's intensely moving performances, breathing life into characters sure to resonate with anyone navigating youth's challenges. While simplistic at times, Young Hearts prevails by valuing emotional truth over shocking twists. Its message—that acceptance liberates us to joyfully become our fullest selves—could spread far.
PROS
- Heartfelt and emotionally authentic performances from the lead actors
- Positive and uplifting message of self-acceptance
- A depiction of a supportive environment for coming out
- Beautiful cinematography that enhances the atmosphere
CONS
- Predictable and formulaic plots
- Some scenes feel overly sentimental.
- The bullying subplot lacks depth.
