Watched on Netflix: 11/29/15
Original Language: Dutch
Subtitles: English
Trailer:
Plotline
This is about four boys on the cross country team and their lives trying to ready for a relay tournament. The main character is named Sieger and he finds himself torn between liking a girl named Jessica and liking a boy named Marc, whom happens to be on his relay team.
The plot is well done to show character development and relationship development. I thought that the amount of instances between Sieger and Marc to create the relationship was a decent amount - not too many times and not too intense. It was like watching a "slowly getting to fall in love" hetero romance, but not hetero this time. It wasn't too hot'n'heavy and had no sexual content - it merely showed how they were getting to know each other.
Relationships
Sieger and family - Sieger's Eddy seems to trying to rebel and have a wild life full of fun. Their father doesn't agree. The two of them constantly have confrontations. One confrontation even had Eddy say "I wish you were dead" to his father. The relation between Sieger and his father, though, was able to show that Sieger cared for his father and tried to help his father out. Sieger ended up searching for his brother to say 'come home' and 'work it out between dad and you please'. Especially after their mother passed away (not knowing how long ago that was), it was a good thing that Sieger did try to keep the family together. By the end of the movie, it seems like the family will stick together.
Sieger and Marc - The four relay race members hang out with each other because they are the best of the cross country club. Once, they decided to go swimming after practice. Sieger and Marc spend more time together swimming and skipping stones and chasing cows, after the other two members leave. It was during this meeting that they exchanged kisses. Innocent kisses - 2 pecks only. Sieger says "I'm not gay" and Marc says with something like 'Of course you're not'. They have a few conversations, hanging out as friends, and continue their lives. Through the pauses that Sieger makes, though, we can tell that he is somewhat conflicted - he would like to be accepted (as all humans want) but he does like Marc. There is a bit closer to the end where the relationship between the two is strained though *spoilers* they still end up being friends. No indication about what happens regarding telling their families or whatnot, so the strain is not fully resolved [in my opinion].
Character Development
The main thing in this movie, aside dealing with familial issues and conflicting feelings, is the development of the main character Sieger. He has to develop as an athlete but he also has to figure out what he wants to do with his life. As a teenager, it is difficult (even in the best circumstances) to choose a life for oneself and to make the right decisions. While some heterosexual people are blatantly making out, he has to decide between appearing normal and making out with the girl {Jessica} or to sit awkwardly next to her. None asked him if he was queer, which was a good thing, but he was definitely trying to make it seem like he was "normal" having Jessica around. Closer to the end, someone asks why Jessica wasn't at the relay race and Sieger brushes it off. *Spoilers* He also ends up hanging out with Marc, which might have meant that he just didn't want to see Jessica anymore or that he knew what he wanted, even if it wasn't 'normal'.
Music
There was a song while they were camping, sung by Marc, and I was half expecting for Marc to say to Sieger that the song was meant for him. Actually, Marc was quiet about the whole thing and let Sieger make the decisions/moves after the first peck, which was quite nice to see.
The other song I recall was the very ending scene. The same song is in the trailer that I posted above. I kinda wished it was a Norweigan song but that's okay, I guess.
Criteria:
0/5 – No value whatsoever. Absolute waste of time.
1/5 – Barely worth any time.
2/5 – Pathetic but has a bit of something to hold the attention a little.
3/5 – Somewhat kept the attention but could definitely have used more.
4/5 – Good, but not awe-strikingly amazing. Could have maybe used a bit more to the movie.
5/5 – Go see it! Wonderful movie all around – characters, music, theme, storyline, etc.
4/5 - I think this was a good movie. It wasn't too "homosexual" though some people might see the two guys kiss and freak out. There was no actual sex, unless it was implied or happened off screen. I was disappointed in the fact that Sieger didn't tell his father about Marc but at least the two seemed to patch it up in the end. A good story but definitely not for everyone and I probably won't watch it again, but not repulsed by it.
A note on Dutch: I have never spoken, listened to, or read Dutch before this movie. Oh dear! It is interesting and unintelligible to me. Sorry to say to those that Dutch is their first language, but wowee! -.-; It seems to be an interesting language and I would like to look into it some more, but not right now. Maybe in the future. :-)
~yume
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