North Sea Texas | Noordzee, Texas (2011)
North Sea Texas | Noordzee, Texas (2011)
Synopsis (adapted from IMDB):
Pim (Jelle Florizoone), the emotionally abandoned and affection-starved young, gay son of a small seaside town's resident floozy, grows up dreaming intensely of a companion who will someday come for him. Pim finds solace with the hospitable neighbours, where another single mum and her two children accept him matter-of-factly, especially the slightly older, cocky son Gino (Mathias Vergels), who acts as his generous big brother and who enters into a period of sexual awakening with Pim.
Review:
Directed by Bavo Defurne, this Flemish film, based on the novel Nooit gaat dit over by André Sollie, is one of the better gay films out there. With some lovely visuals of the landscape and beach, and soft music, this film has a gentle, subdued feel about it, but so much emotion is there beneath the surface, and in general, one can sympathise with all the characters, who all feel very real. The main song in the film Wooly Clouds by Little Auk also fits the film perfectly and adds to the theme of dreaming.
We learn from the beginning that Pim is not a ‘normal’ boy, as we see him dressing up as a beauty queen. He’s often seen drifting in a dream world, and to me seems to be the epitome of an only child. He’s quiet, lonely and sensitive, but also ultimately imaginative and rather self-aware. The film echoes Pim’s moods – when he is happy (especially around Gino), the film has life. When he is alone or feeling low, the film slows and loses any buzz.
Pim’s selfish mother, a former beauty queen herself, is now an accordion player at the local bar, ‘Texas’, where all the locals hang out and where Pim spends much of his time drawing on beer coasters. There’s not much warmth between mother and son, but Pim’s mum clearly on some level cares for Pim while on another, more obvious level, seems to regret having had him. She neglects Pim and leaves him largely to fend for himself while she’s off travelling around and playing the accordion with her sleazy boyfriend, who Pim clearly resents. Pim therefore spends much of his time at the neighbour’s house, which is where we encounter Gino.
Gino is the companion that Pim has always desired and there are a couple of stand-out scenes between the two. There’s a scene in the garage which shows the connection between the boys as well as their sexual awakening. And there’s also a scene in a tent, which has such a youthful innocence about it – it’s a moment the boys wish could last forever - and it reminds me of a similar scene from the short film Wastelands (2013).
We can see that Pim likes Gino because not only is he handsome, but he also takes Pim under his wing and shows him generosity and true friendship. Gino seems to like Pim because he likes having someone look up to him. They both live quiet lives, but together they keep each other entertained. However, it becomes clear that Gino sees this connection as just a phase while they grow up.
The first half an hour or so of the film is particularly good. There’s a rather forgettable subplot later in the film with a gypsy traveller called Zoltan (Thomas Coumans), who lodges with Pim and his mother, which feels rather underdeveloped. All of the characters feel very real and believable in this film except Zoltan. Pim and his mother are both vying for Zoltan’s attention, but we never really learn enough about him and his intentions for him to feel important. However, the rest of the film is still well worth watching as there are some really well-written and well-acted scenes.
All-in-all, I would definitely recommend North Sea Texas | Noordzee, Texas as it really captures how it is to grow up gay and feel alone in a small town. Each character has their own believable plight and you can really feel for them. Pim just wants companionship, while Gino wants to escape to something bigger. Pim’s mum wants to be free from the restraints of being a mother, whereas Gino’s mum just wants her children to be happy. There is so much to relate to in this film and I feel that most people would relate to at least one of the characters in some way. The acting is excellent, and the visuals and music are very pleasant – well worth a watch!
Favourite Quote:
“You’re beautiful when you’re jealous” – Pim
Tone: Chill
Score: 8/10
Other Observations:
I like how Pim collects mementos from moments that are significant to him. Despite Pim being a quieter person, he takes it all in, and for better or worse is rather nostalgic.
I feel a bit sorry for Gino’s sister. She has such a crush on Pim and is so attentive and devoted to him, always offering him lemonade. It was noticeable that when she realises Pim is in love with her brother, she only gets him tap water.
Pim has that selfishness of a lonely only child. He is so desperately looking for someone to make things better for him, that at times he seems oblivious to how he impacts other people.
The scene near the end where Gino’s dying mother takes Gino and Pim’s hands and puts them together – giving them her blessing – is particularly moving and impactful.
The shots of the boys riding together on a moped reminded me of Boys | Jongens (2014).
