Movie review
October 26, 2024 · 99 min · NR · Dutch
Woke Score
Lower is better
Breakdown
These are the editorial factors and ratings behind our score for Young Hearts.
Woke representation / casting
Casting of young male actors as the two boys in a same-sex romance fits the premise and Belgian rural setting perfectly with no forced diversity, swaps, or mismatches; queer emphasis is story-driven.
Woke political dialogue
Sparse natural teen talk about feelings and first love; no activist speeches or explicit modern ideology.
Identity-driven story themes
The narrative is strongly centered on Elias discovering his same-sex attraction, hiding it, and embracing gay first love; queer self-acceptance powers the entire emotional and plot engine.
Western institutional / cultural critique
Mild personal fear of heteronormative judgment from family and peers is shown but quickly resolved with support; no activist institutional or systemic oppression framing.
Review
The entire story follows 14-year-old Elias as he discovers his same-sex attraction, falls in love with his male neighbor Alexander, hides his feelings out of fear, then embraces them after a grandpa talk about true love. Queer identity, first gay romance, and self-acceptance drive every plot beat and character arc with no other real engine. The director frames the film as the hopeful queer coming-of-age story he wished existed for kids like him. Mild heteronormative hesitation appears but gets swept away in a supportive fairy-tale resolution.
Woke character or canon changes
Not relevant
Anti-woke backlash and complaints
Absent or minimal; no meaningful backlash claiming forced identity politics.
Creator track record context
Director has a consistent history of queer-themed shorts and personal gay storytelling.
Production
