NQV Media’s popular ‘The Boys’ series continues this week with the release of ‘The Dutch Boys’ as we head to the Netherlands for five shorts from Dutch film-makers. Secrets, longing and friction run through these electric shorts, offering an insightful glimpse into what it’s like to be closeted and open about your sexuality in modern times. The collection tells five very different sotires about men at different stages of their life.
Viktor van der Valk’s ‘Brick’ opens ‘The Dutch Boys’ and its lead character Jeffrey is anything but open about his true sexuality. Living in a small town with his father and his pregnant girlfriend, Jeffrey’s truth is confronted when he attracts the eye of new co-worker Kevin, who is asked to supervise. Kevin’s arrival stokes up all kinds of feelings for Jeffrey, and his behaviour becomes increasingly erratic as he tries to understand them. It’s an interesting look at what life is like for someone who has suppressed their sexuality for so long, and film-maker Viktor van der Valk delivers the story beautifully.
‘South of Heaven’ from Marco van Bergen follows and the theme of closeted men continues. Elias returns home from the Amsterdam conservatory of musical arts and is surprised when his boyfriend shows up to celebrate his birthday. A tense meal ensues as Elias’ brother and mother start to realise that their guest is more than just a friend to Elias. This short depicts the all-too common experience of young gay men, terrified to come out to their family for fear of being cut out of the family.
The strongest of the shorts is sequenced in the middle of ‘The Dutch Boys’. Directed by Jordi Wijnalda, we follow Lukas a young man who is searching for a connection with… well anyone. Starting his evening on an online porn cam, Lukas finds his way to a seedy bar and eventually to an encounter with a lonely woman in the same hotel as him. It’s a story that explores sexual fluidity and the importance of human connection, wherever that may come from. The short poses plenty of questions and it leaves you thinking for quite some time after it finishes.
The final two shorts are from Marc Wagenaar. The first is ‘Dante vs. Mohammed Ali’, which finds best friends Wolf and Alexander feeling very differently about an impending boxing match. Wolf refuses to fight, which turns the village against him, and when he attempts to convince Alexander to run away with him, things take a sour turn. In ‘Beautiful Alexander’, we spend a little time with the titular character who spies a boy on a diving board but is too frightened to approach him. Instead he dances alone in his room, as he’s drawn towards the stranger. Both of these shorts are different in tone to the three that come before, with Wagenaar showing he has a distinctive visual flair and way to tell a story.
‘The Dutch Boys’ continues the strong reputation that the series has built up so far. Theming each release by country really lets the viewer see what being gay is like for a wide variety of people, further emphasising that everyone’s experience is different. The men in these stories couldn’t be more different, and it’s that variety that’s been key to the success of this series for NQV Media.
Cast: Reinout Scholten van Aschat, Lourens van der Akker, Tom van Kessel, Tine Joustra, Matthijs van de Sande Bakhuyzen, Bas Keizer Directors: Viktor van der Valk, Marco van Bergen, Jordi Wijnalda, Marc Wagenaar Certificate: 18 Duration: 98 mins Released by: NQV Media Release date: 21st May 2021 Buy ‘The Dutch Boys’ now
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