Young Hearts is a 2024 Belgian-Dutch independent coming-of-age drama film written and directed by Anthony Schatteman in his feature directorial debut. The film tells the story of Elias, a boy who falls in love with his new neighbour, a boy of the same age named Alexander.
The Belgian-Dutch co-production was selected in the Generation Kplus section at the 74th Berlin International Film Festival, where it had its world premiere on February 17, 2024 and competed for Crystal Bear for the Best Film.
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Synopsis
Elias, a boy from the Belgian countryside, forms a friendship with his new neighbor, Alexander, a confident and headstrong boy from Brussels. As the two grow closer, Alexander reveals that he was in love with a boy and asks Elias if he has experienced true love, a question that lingers in his mind.
For the first time, Elias begins to understand the depth of his feelings as he starts to fall in love with Alexander. However, overwhelmed by fear of judgment and rejection, Elias denies his emotions, distancing himself from his friends, family, and Alexander to hide his truth. Consumed by loneliness and regret, Elias struggles with the weight of his decisions.
A heartfelt conversation with his grandfather, who shares a story of his enduring love for his late wife, inspires Elias to confront his fears. Realizing that love is too precious to let slip away, he gathers the courage to reconcile with Alexander, taking a brave step toward embracing his feelings and the possibility of love.
Cast
Lou Goossens as Elias Montero
Marius De Saeger as Alexander
Geert Van Rampelberg as Luk Montero, Elias' father
Emilie De Roo as Nathalie, Elias' mother
Dirk Van Dijck as Fred, Elias' grandfather
Saar Rogiers as Valerie, Alexander's friend and Elias' girlfriend/friend
Jul Goossens as Maxime, Elias' older brother
Ezra Van Dongen as Line, Maxime's girlfriend
Wim Opbrouck as Uncle Tony, Alexander's uncle
Florence Hebbelynck as Aunt Pia, Alexander's aunt
Olivier Englebert as Marc, Alexander's father
Olga De Saeger as Ella, Alexander's younger sister
LaDiva Live as La Diva, a drag queen in Brussels
Bert Dobbelaere as Professor Van Daelle, the school's French teacher
Jill Malfroot as Lukas, one of Elias' classmates
Cassie Alcendor as Lize, one of Elias' classmates
Samba Thiam as Matteo, one of Elias' classmates
Sam Michiels as Mieke, one of Elias' classmates
Production
Young Hearts is the debut directing feature film for Anthony Schatteman featuring Lou Goossens and Marius De Saeger in the main roles, with Geert Van Rampelberg, Emilie De Roo, and Dirk Van Dyck playing pivotal supporting roles. The film is produced by Polar Bear, in co-production with the Belgian Kwassa Films and the Dutch Family Affair Films.
The development of the film began in 2019 and spanned four years. Production of the film was first announced by Anthony Schatteman in a Facebook post on May 31, 2022. The production team spent six months scouting suitable filming locations. Open casting calls began on September 20, 2022, focusing on filling the main roles with boys aged 11 to 18. Director Anthony Schatteman, alongside his best friend and the film's Children's Coach, Oliver Roels, reviewed over 1,500 auditions. Marius De Saeger was the first actor cast, as his personality and personal life closely aligned with the character of Alexander. Lou Goossens was later selected for the role of Elias, chosen for his natural connection with De Saeger and the parallels between his personal life and that of the character.
During an interview with Amelia Stevenson for TresA Magazine on August 22, 2025, Goossens detailed the complex challenges he undertook to develop Elias' personality and intense inner struggles.
Filming commenced in August 2023 and was completed over a span of 28 days.
Music
Ruben De Gheselle was hired to score the film. Young Hearts was his feature film debut.
Ruben De Gheselle's original score for Young Hearts was released by MovieScore Media on December 18, 2024.
Release
Theatrical
Young Hearts had its world premiere on February 17, 2024, as part of the 74th Berlin International Film Festival, in Generation Kplus. It was also screened at the 50th Seattle International Film Festival in May 2024 and the 77th Cannes Film Festival in Cannes Écrans Juniors section on May 22, 2024. It had its Canadian premiere at the Inside Out Film and Video Festival on May 28, 2024 in Centrepiece Gala.
It also featured in the International Competition of Feature Films in the junior category on June 2, 2024 in the 64th edition of the Zlín Film Festival, also known as the International Film Festival for Children and Youth held in the Czech Republic. The film competed for Iris Prize Best Feature Award in Iris Prize and was screened on October 10, 2024.
The film was released in Belgian cinemas on December 18, 2024 by Kinepolis Film Distribution. The film was released in Dutch cinemas on December 19, 2024. The film premiered in the United States on March 14, 2025 at the IFC Center in New York.
The film was released in Mexican cinemas on July 17, 2025 by Cine Caníbal.
Home media
The film was released on Blu-ray and DVD in Germany on March 28, 2025 and July 3, 2025 respectively. The Blu-ray release features a Dutch audio track as well as Dutch and French subtitles while the DVD release features Dutch, French and German audio tracks and German subtitles.
It was released on DVD in the US by Strand Releasing on May 13, 2025. It was released on DVD in France by Epicentre Films Editions on June 17, 2025. This release features a Dutch audio track and French subtitles. Bonus features include an interview with Anthony Schatteman and Xavier Rombaut, Schatteman's 2012 short film Kus me zachtjes (Kiss Me Softly), Schatteman's biography and the film's official trailer.
A Collector's Edition was released on Blu-ray and DVD in the UK by Peccadillo Pictures on November 17, 2025. This release features a Flemish audio track and English subtitles. Bonus features include a director's commentary, deleted scenes, interviews with Anthony Schatteman, Lou Goossens and Marius De Saeger and a fan art gallery.
Reception
On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 92% of 25 critics' reviews are positive. Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 69 out of 100, based on 4 critics, indicating "generally favorable" reviews.
Aurore Engelen reviewing the film at Berlinale for Cineuropa wrote, "Young Hearts is an authentic coming-of-age tale which enriches the existing body of family films with a wonderful queer love story."
Catherine Bray writing in Variety praised Lou Goossens, for being "naturalistic and able to convey subtle shades of inner turmoil, despite his young age." Praising director Anthony Schatteman for his direction wrote, "his direction feels calm and quietly confident in ways that is not always the case with a debut." Concluding her review she opined, "Young Hearts, while gentler and less obviously tear-jerking, benefits from a sincere and lived-in emotional honesty which serves its aims well."
Beatrice Loayza, writing in The New York Times wrote "Young Hearts is a more wholesome, and ultimately more cliché, endeavor. In the end, teenage brooding gives way to a sparkling fairy tale finale that shows that there was nothing for Elias to worry about, after all."
Sam Wachman, writing for Bright Lights Film Journal, wrote that Schatteman "allows Elias and Alexander to transcend the usual tropes and achieve complete, joyous humanity." He criticized one scene involving a drag queen's performance, writing that "Young Hearts is not the story of Elias's induction into a greater queer culture; it is the story of his love for Alexander." Ultimately, he praised Goossens' acting, writing "...Even when the story strikes a wrong note or takes a turn for the maudlin, Goossens rescues Young Hearts from itself with his stellar, precocious lead performance."
Gary M. Kramer, reviewing the film for Gay City News, lavished praise on the performances of Goossens and De Saeger, writing, "Goossens carries the film, effortlessly, and he is well matched by De Saeger, who is appropriately more relaxed and comfortable in his own skin as Alexander. De Saeger's responses to Elias' discomfort are real, and it creates a real investment for viewers to want the boys to end up together."
Accolades
The film was selected in Generation Kplus at the 74th Berlin International Film Festival, thus it was nominated to compete for the Crystal Bear.
