“All I want to do now is run and be in love” is the first thing my movie date says after seeing Mischa Kamp’s Jongens (“Boys”) at the Vancouver Queer Film Festival. She certainly has a point: no matter what your gender, age, or sexual orientation, this queer coming-of-age story will transport you back to being fifteen, in love for the first time, and hopelessly confused about it.

Jongens is the story of Steiger (Gijs Blom), a reserved teenager who falls for his teammate Marc (Ko Zandvliet) while training for the national relay racing championships. It quickly becomes clear that the attraction is mutual, and Marc and Steiger grow steadily closer. Not everything is rosy for the young lovers, however, their budding romance complicated by an unruly older brother, an unwanted girlfriend, and Steiger’s uncertainty about his sexual orientation. A couple of extremely ill-timed encounters between the two boys throw everything into question, the romantic tension hitting some all time highs. 

Women are largely absent from the film, Steiger’s mother having died in a motorcycle accident a few years prior. Instead, Kamp focuses on a theme of male-to-male love that is rarely explored in cinema. Through his relationship with Marc, Steiger not only learns to understand love romantically, but also from the perspective of a friend, teammate, brother, and son. These platonic subplots add emotional complexity to the film, and are in some ways more moving than the main action.

Excellently cast and featuring stellar performances by Blom en Zandvliet alike, the film is sweet, lighthearted and engaging. With sun-drenched cinematography, Jongens promises to keep viewers “awing” and “oh no-ing” for the full 78 minutes of hormone-laden emotion.

If you haven’t had a chance to check-out the Queer Film Festival yet, tonight is your last chance! Head to the Vancouver Playhouse for the screening of Girl Trash: All Night Long at 7:00pm, then follow the lantern-lit procession to the Junction for the official Closing Gala party featuring performances by Isolde N Barron and Thanks Jem!