When fast changes unchain around a person and emotional development struggles to keep up, Young Hearts beautifully narrates the push and pull between hugging happiness and, often, self-imposed expectations.

A gentle portrait of the turbulent brink between childhood and adulthood, writer and director Anthony Schatteman, premiered the film in the Generation Kplus section of last year’s 74th Berlinale, where it received a Special Mention from the Youth Jury. After a gradual rollout across various film festivals in 2024, it premiered in Sydney at the Mardi Gras film festival in February.

Elias (Lou Goossens) is a 14-year-old boy enjoying a breezy summer in his Belgian village. His musician father’s last single becoming one of the season’s hits in the country, we see Elias relaxedly enjoying his concerts in the company of his girlfriend Valerie.

When a new family moves in across the street, Alexander (Marius De Saeger) jumps out of the truck with the air of the cool city kid. In the first of Elias’ many gazes at Alexander, the camera subtly asks the audience when the spark of love can be caught first. Combined with a delicate lighting, these gazes between the boys slow time down, almost collapsing into a photograph.

The story unfolds in the Flemish countryside, with nature in full bloom serving as the conductor of a tender love story. Similar to directors like Hirokazu Kore-eda and Éric Rohmer, Schatteman uses a summertime palette of lush greens to shape the setting where emotions deepen and reach their peak.

Elias’ reticence is a small part of the picture of how people, often, treat honest emotional dialogue — as a tool of last resort.

The first part of the film sees Alexander leading the discovery, encouraging Elias to follow along. When faced with the usual funny comments made by a group of senior students, Alex shows them that he’s not even slightly intimidated. With an eagerness to fight back adding to his natural Bruxellois charm, Elias finds himself testing the boundaries of friendship with his new neighbour.

The acting is defined by the naturalistic performance from Goossens and De Saeger, one that is difficult to master at such young an age. This is evident throughout the story, with nature playing a key role in highlighting the contrasts that shape both the narrative and the performances. For example, when they ride the bikes back to town at the end of the day, Elias abruptly shifts from bright smiles to a restrained greyscale, causing one of the few moments where the camera finds Alex feeling completely off-balance.

Elias’ inability to acknowledge Alexander outside nature’s umbrella will lead to a fight on several fronts. Independently of the queer component, in Europe it feels like there is a higher threshold to talk about one’s feelings, compared to, say, the United States (or Australia). And that European cinema can reflect that social reality in a surprisingly accurate way.

In the film, there is a moving scene where Elias finally opens up to his mom. Nevertheless, this only occurs after a significant maternal insistence that is met by a complete communicational blockade.

As much as the audience will love the drama unleashed by Elias’ refusal to let others know, it is a small part of the picture of how people, often, treat honest emotional dialogue as a tool of last resort — a joker card played when there’s no other option.

 

Schatteman knows that a good romance benefits from a few (well-placed) clichés. From their first kiss to Elias’ warm relationship with his grandfather, Young Hearts succeeds in leaving the audience with a sense of optimism before an intensely lived and beautifully navigated first-love story.

Main image supplied.