A ChucksConnection Film Review

 

Lou Goossens wears grey high top Converse “Chuck Taylor” All Stars in the film.

Young Hearts

by Hal Peterson

 

Alexander and Elias bicycling and getting to know each other.

 

Young Hearts is a coming of age story mostly set in a small town in rural Belgium. We meet Elias (Lou Goossens) a modest 14-year-old boy with a great smile and his family. His father Luk (Geert Van Rampelberg) is a locally popular lounge vocalist and songwriter, his mom Nathalie (Emilie De Roo) is the emotional rock of the family, and his older brother Maxime (Jul Goossens — in real life also!) is starting to date a steady girlfriend Line (Ezra Van Dongen). One other important family member is Elias’ grandfather Fred (Dirk van Dijck) who lives on a farm just out of town. In town and at school, Elias has his crew of friends including Valerie (Saar Rogiers) his erstwhile girlfriend, Lukas (Jill Malfroot), Matteo (Samba Thiam), Mieke (Sam Michiels), Lore (Marie Gevaert) and Lize (Cassie Alcendor). But things are about to change in Elias’ life when a new family from Brussels moves into the house across the street. The new family includes a widower father Marc (Olivier Englebert), his four-year-old daughter Ella (Olga De Saeger) and 14-year-old Alexander (Marius De Saeger). In one of the opening scenes, we see that Elias is immediately attracted to Alexander. When Elias opens his bedroom window and sees Alexander doing the same, he flashes him a winning smile, the first of many.

 

Elias arrives at a party to welcome their new neighbors.

The story line of Young Hearts is in part presented through songs about love at the film’s beginning, middle, and end. We hear and see one of them at the beginning of the film performed by Luk while the rest of the audience grooves to the music. Part of Luk’s wish for his family is to have them be at all of his performances and we see Elias and Valerie sitting at a table enjoying the music just as much as the mostly older audience. And Luk’s music lately has brought him some notoriety, his latest love song has achieved gold record status earning him a framed acknowledgment and a full page story in the local newspaper. But the main focus after this introduction is how the relationship between Elias and Alexander begins to develop. After some initial cautious glances at each other they start spending time together. There is instant chemistry between the two and you see that in the sheer happiness on their faces when they are together riding their bikes, sharing a snack, exploring a deserted mansion, visiting Grandpa Fred’s farm, or frolicking in a lake. When their small talk gets around to falling in love, Alexander admits that he had a serious relationship once before and it was with another boy. Elias currently is coupled with Valerie, but there is no spark in their relationship, and it mostly seems to be a matter of convenience within their group of friends which now includes Alexander. Eventually Alexander gives Elias a furtive kiss which Elias is pleased to accept and their relationship becomes more serious as Elias begins to realizes that he is falling in love with Alexander.

 

Grandfather takes Elias on a trip after his meltdown.

 

As his relationship with Alexander continues to develop, Elias becomes conflicted with all kinds of self doubt. He becomes moodier and quieter, something noticed by his mother. Valerie cuts him off after she sees Elias and Alexander in an intimate pose. To help Elias clear the air, Alexander offers to take Elias on a trip to Brussels, where Elias sees the city for the first time and they visit Alexander’s aunt and uncle who run a night club. The action takes a short break while we hear another love ballad, sung by trans singer Lady Lana (La Diva) and accompanied by Alexander’s uncle with Alexander playing light fills on the piano. The scene gives Elias some insight into Alexander’s background and what his life was like before he moved to Elias’ town. But conflicts and self doubts continue. After a brief reconciliation with Valerie, Elias gets into arguments with his other friends, rejects Alexander’s public displays of affection, and fights with his brother and his father. After alienating himself from seemingly everyone, Elias literally runs out into the country to his grandfather's farm where he collapses in tears. Fred comforts Elias, and then takes him on a trip to Antwerp and the beautiful countryside there to help his grandson work out the conflicting feelings inside him.

 

Elias and his grandfather viewing the landscape.

 

Young Hearts is successful as a film because it is a pleasantly happy twist on a young teen gay romance. There are no dramatic scenes where a young person comes out and is thrown out of their house forever, or shamed and shunned by their parents and peers, or someone develops a tragic life-ending disease and they must reconcile before it is too late. Instead everyone generally acts quite normally, and Elias’ family acts in an especially loving manner, even after Elias has insulted them. The relationship between Elias and his grandfather is an especially strong component of the film in its final third act and there are very positive family values shown in the story written and directed by Anthony Schatteman. The acting in the film is first rate, with especially strong performances by Lou Goossens, Marius De Saeger, and Dirk van Dijck. The work of Lou and Marius has achieved many accolades since the film’s release. This is a film where you realize early on that things are most likely going to work out for the best, but it is a very pleasant journey that should remind everyone how difficult life can be for gay adolescent teenagers coming of age. In the end the message is “how love of all kinds conquers all”, accompanied by the latest new song from Luk, “First Love”.

Best Chucks Scene

 

Elias follows his grandfather wading the stream.

 

Lou Goossens (Elias) wears grey high top Converse All Stars in most of his scenes throughout the film. Chucks in this film give the context of typical footwear for teenagers (in Europe as well as America) and so are a part of Elias' normal look. Some of the background actors also wear black high top chucks in school scenes. There are not a lot of closeup shots. Probably the best sequence is when Elias goes with his grandfather to Antwerp after his meltdown. His chucks are well featured while the two walk around the beautiful countryside, as Fred helps Elias come to grips with his true feelings. There is one other good closeup when Elias jumps out of a bumper car he is riding in at the Harvest Festival when he thinks he sees Alexander.

 

Elias gets out of the bumper car to pursue Alexander.

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