Boys | Jongens (2014)
Boys | Jongens (2014)
Synopsis (adapted from Youtube):
Sieger (Gijs Blom) and Marc (Ko Zandvliet) are part of an athletics club, training hard for the relay championships. Stealing glances and catching each other’s eye during training, a budding relationship begins, but coming to terms with these new feelings is a hurdle they have to overcome. At first, Sieger tries to ignore his attraction to Marc. But then, they kiss…
Review:
Boys | Jongens has probably had the largest impact on me out of any LGBT+film. A Dutch film directed by Mischa Kamp, it tells the story of teenagers Sieger and Marc. The two boys meet at their local athletics club after Sieger is promoted into Marc’s relay team; they soon begin sharing glances at each other during training.
Sieger is seen to be a more quiet, regimented and disciplined person, whereas Marc is more carefree and bit cheeky. Sieger has a loving, well-intentioned father (Ton Kas) who is slightly overprotective of Sieger and his older brother, Eddy, as their mother died in a motor accident; he won’t let Eddy ride on a moped despite all of his friends having one. Eddy (Jonas Smulders) is rebellious and doesn’t follow his father’s rules, leading to conflict between the family members. Due to his dad and brother’s difficult relationship, Sieger clearly feels pressure to be the perfect son in order to compensate for Eddy’s misbehaviour. He wants to fit in, especially when his best-friend Stef (Stijn Taverne) (who is also on the relay team) gets a girlfriend, while Eddy also has one - this prompts Sieger to feel that he should also get one, which is easy for him as a girl called Jessica is obviously into him; yet Sieger’s feeling for Marc complicate matters. Sieger recognises how important he and Eddy are to their dad, so he wants to make him proud and not cause him any problems - we see how caring Sieger is in the way that he wants to treat his dad for Father’s Day. Marc’s family on the other hand are more simple. He has two loving parents and an adorable little sister. For more self-assured Marc, his sexuality doesn’t seem to be such a big deal; he knows he likes Sieger, so he goes along with it - it’s not that complicated for him.
Marc notices small things about Sieger, such as how he runs “…always with one sock pulled up and the other down”. The more they train together the more they exchange glances, and it is clear there is a connection forming between the two boys, however they don’t discuss their attraction. The first time their feelings for each other are acknowledged is when the relay team go swimming in the local lake. The team bond and play around in the water together for a while, before Stef and Tom (another relay team member) say that they’re heading home for dinner. Marc asks Sieger to stay, but he initially heads off home with the others. Stef, Tom and Sieger cycle away from the lake, but they all need to go in different directions to get to their respective homes, so they part ways. Once alone, Sieger stops, thinks and turns around back towards Marc and the lake. Sieger wants to return to Marc, but seems wary of his feelings and is perhaps unsure or confused as to why he is so drawn to Marc. Once Sieger gets back to the lake, he and Marc continue to play around and this eventually leads to a kiss between the two. The way the kiss is shot it is unclear who kisses who first, but it is clear that they both kiss each other. Sieger is conflicted afterwards and as he is leaving tells Marc “I’m not gay.”, to which Marc responds “Of course you’re not.”
The two don’t speak about the kiss but continue to get closer, spend time together and get to know each other more. Marc invites Sieger to his house for sorbet and they play on the trampoline with Marc’s 7-year-old sister, Neeltje. This is a very wholesome and pure scene, where life is simple and uncomplicated. They’re all just happy, enjoying each other’s company. Sieger and Marc don’t kiss but there’s a warmth and closeness in their connection as they jump around on the trampoline.
Another nice few scenes follow, where the relay team go on a training camp at the beach. In the evening, they sit around a campfire and sing You Are My Sunshine - with Marc leading the singing! Marc and Sieger then go into the woods to get firewood, and it seems like they are about to kiss until they are interrupted. The tension is building between the two and their feelings for each other are undeniable. That night neither can sleep so they sneak off together. They cycle away (with Marc singing more) and stop when they spot some deer. Sieger kisses Marc and they proceed to run along the beach together and kiss again while lying in the sand dunes, under the moon and starlight, with no sound except for the sea and seagulls. It’s peaceful and the two are completely alone together as if that moment is all that matters in the universe. Marc asks “Shall we stay here forever?” On their return to the dormitory that they’re staying in, they are seen by Stef but he doesn’t say anything.
The next day on the way home Marc is asleep on Sieger’s shoulder and it’s kinda cute! However, while Sieger may be getting closer with Marc, Eddy and their father are arguing more, with constant friction between them. This all gets to Sieger, causing him to feel conflicted about things and he begins to mess Marc around. Sieger goes to the funfair with Stef, Stef’s girlfriend and Jessica. Marc bumps into them there, and he looks at Sieger like ‘what the hell is going on’ when Sieger introduces him to Jessica. Sieger wins Jessica a prize at the claw machine and she kisses him - Marc looks betrayed. Jessica wanders off and Sieger sticks with her, leaving Marc behind. Sieger watches Marc at a distance; he’s feeling guilty as he wants to be with Marc but feels he needs to be with Jessica in order to fit in.
Back at the running track Sieger and Marc drop the baton during a training relay run. The coach criticises Sieger who is unfocused and struggling due to his family problems and feelings for Marc. In the changing rooms Marc asks Sieger if he has a girlfriend. Sieger doesn’t answer. Sieger’s dad then turns up asking him if he’s seen Eddy who has lost his job. Marc, overhearing this, gains some insight into Sieger’s family troubles. Once his dad has gone, Sieger takes Marc’s hoodie drawstrings and starts to play with them in a cute kind-of boyfriendy way. This shows how safe and comfortable Marc makes him feel, while other people in his life are a source of tension. Marc asks Sieger what he wants and Sieger suggests that they go swimming that evening.
We see Sieger preparing to meet with Marc, changing outfit several times. It’s cute how he wants to make an effort for Marc. However, the swimming plan is disrupted by Eddy, who pressures Sieger into joining him joyride with the girls. They nearly run over Marc who is heading home having been stood up by Sieger. Seeing Sieger in the car, Marc refuses to move out of the way, angering Eddy. Sieger gets out and confronts Marc, demanding him to move, but Marc can’t understand why Sieger has stood him up and why he is treating him this way. Sieger is overwhelmed by the situation and despite knowing Eddy is in the wrong, sides with him and pushes Marc.
The next morning is the day of the big race that the relay team have been training for. Before the race Sieger tries to apologise to Marc but Marc rejects the apology as he has had enough of Sieger’s ‘charade’ with Jessica. The team manage to win the race though, but Sieger is distracted and struggles to celebrate knowing that he is on bad terms with Marc. Later, Sieger tries to celebrate back at home with his dad and Eddy (who have reconciled their differences) as well as Stef. In a positive way Stef implies/hints to Sieger than he knows about him and Marc, and in this way he subtlety approves and encourages them as a couple. Sieger then impatiently leaves the celebrations, taking Eddy’s moped. In the final scene, Sieger is seen driving away on the moped with Marc. The two are a team again - with this scene mirroring the scene of them cycling off at night together during their training camp when they kissed. Sieger has been prioritising other people in order to keep them happy and to fit in - and yet it is Marc who matters to him the most. No-one makes him happy like Marc does and he finally wants to make Marc his priority, and it’s nice that Marc is understanding and gives him that opportunity, even after Sieger had messed him around so much. It’s a happy ending as the boys end up together.
I first saw Boys | Jongens very shortly after it was released, when I was a similar age to the two main lead characters, who are very well acted. This film was so impactful because it was one of the first portrayals I saw of gay teenagers that had a nice ending. I was in a place in life where I lived in suburbia, was still at school (sixth-form) where no-one was really openly gay, I had no LGBT+ role models and I wasn’t confident enough to come out to anyone - friends or family. I’d never even met another gay teenager (or at least not one that was out). I felt pretty lonely at this time and watching this film gave me immense hope that everything would one day be alright and that things would get better. As I felt pretty alone with the whole ‘being gay’ at this time, I sort of got gay role models through film and television and Marc and Sieger were some of the most formative. They’re both athletic and good-looking and as I was a similar age to them I did used to fancy them a bit! I just wanted a love story like them - their story was my dream scenario - and this film gave me the belief that this one day would happen! For me this film is about giving hope to gay teenagers who may feel underrepresented, alone or not normal. Admittedly if you’ve gone through and past that life phase then this film may perhaps not be as impactful for you, but I still enjoy it as much as I ever did when I rewatch it. I guess it may depend on where you are in life when you watch it. But it’s a 10/10 from me.
Favourite quote:
“You and Marc…Marc and you…That went really well. Good timing.” - Stef
Score: 10/10
Tone: Hopeful
Other observations:
I love the music in Boys | Jongens!
Apologise (Dear Simon) by Moss works perfectly for the opening and closing of the film.
During the funfair scene Midnight City by M83 plays, and now I always think about this film whenever I hear that song!
Rutger Reinders, who composed the film’s music, really gets the tone of the music right throughout the film, reflecting the emotions that the scenes evoke. Such as during the trampoline scene the music feels optimistic, warm and carefree. And during the scene where Marc and Sieger kiss at night in the sand dunes during their training camp the music is intimate and tranquil.
The scenery helps give the film that small town feel. There’s not much there to keep teenagers occupied other than riding bikes/mopeds in the woods, swimming in the lake or, as in Sieger and Marc’s case, training at the athletics track.
The shots of the boys riding together on a moped reminded me of North Sea Texas | Noordzee, Texas (2011).