Queer Movie Review: Jongens (2014)

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The movie "Jongens" is a Dutch language movie which follows Siger, a teen athlete, through training for the championship relay race and discovering his sexuality. A flirtatious friendship develops between Siger and Marc after the two share kisses at the lake, while swimming after practice one night. The boys also attend a training camp for the upcoming relay race, which they are both part of, and the two sneak out to go to the beach together. When Siger's friend Stef begins to date a girl, encouraging Siger to do the same, Marc gets pushed away due to Siger's confusion and misunderstanding of his own emotions. Throughout the entire movie Siger seems very pensive and a bit hesitant about the relationship, and seems to be confused about his feelings for Marc; this leads to Marc feeling confused and ignored, and the boys have a fight, after a girl kisses Siger in front of Marc. Siger tries to apologize to Marc, but Marc, who was expecting more of an explanation, brushes him off. The team wins the relay race, and Siger seems to be looking for Marc during the celebrations. At dinner after the race, Siger leaves unexpectedly and goes to find Marc. The two ride away on a motorcycle, presumably to the beach. We can only hope that this means that both boys have found themselves, as well as each other. Although the movie is mainly about the two boys, Siger and Marc, this movie also features other important aspects of life including family relationships and peer pressure.
Originally, this movie aired on a children's movie channel in The Netherlands, where it was such a great success, that its creators decided to release it in Dutch theaters. The movie was also released in North America at many film festivals across the continent, namely the Seattle International Film Festival, and the Vancouver Queer Film Festival.
This movie is one of my favorites, and has been for some time, partly because of the beautiful cinematography and soundtrack, and partly because of the extremely relatable and simple, lovable characters. I relate a lot to this movie because it really shows the "questioning" part about discovering who you are in regards to your sexuality, as a teenager. This film does a fantastic job of showing the reality of being confused and embarrassed by your own budding sexuality, as well as what it's like to explore, and finally accept your identity. This movie is poetic and simple, and gets the point across in a way that is easy to understand for children, teens, and parents. "Jongens" is a perfect example of wonderful real queer representation, and to me seems very true to reality. This movie is truly very heartwarming and sweet, and certainly shows the reality of teenaged-emotions and discovering one's sexuality.
Watch "Jongens" on Hulu, YouTube, and Amazon.

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