Coming just a week after the release of ‘The French Boys’, NQV Media is unleashing another treat with the second instalment in the series ‘The French Boys 2’. The second of four planned releases spread across December and January, the series continues to shine a bright spotlight on the film-making talent in France who are telling stories of the queer experience through a variety of different male characters of all ages and ethnicities. Following a strong start, can the series maintain its momentum?
‘The French Boys 2’ features four shorts across its 92-minute run time and the tone is altogether more serious than the first instalment. These stories are more subtle, exploring stories that run under the surface rather than those that are out in the open. The collection opens with Benjamin Vu’s slow-burning ‘Falling’, which takes place in the winter of 1994. Léo (Solal Forte) and Baptiste (Jean-Baptiste Le Vaillant) are two classmates who mix in different circles and have polar opposite views. One night the two are brought together to work on a school project and as they get to know one another, and push each other’s comfort zones, a surprising connection is uncovered. I don’t want to say more than that so as not to spoil it but Vu handles his story very delicately as he peels back the layers and it draws you in with ease.
‘The Return’ by Yohann Kouam follows and it’s starkly different from what came before. This short tells the story of Willy (Adam Procida), a teenager who has fallen in with a bad crowd following the departure of his older brother Theo (Yann Gale). He spends his days bullying a flamboyant classmate but when Theo returns, Willy is forced to look at his actions in the mirror and making some big decisions. Kouam’s story is a classic coming-of-age tale that reflects how easy it is for teenagers to be swept along by their peers, without any thought as to what they’re doing and why they’re doing it.
The third short, ‘Footing’, brings to mind ‘Vincent Before Noon’ from the first collection. Pairing an estranged father and son for a morning jog, director Damien Gault explores the gulf that has formed between them in large part due to a breakdown in communication. Marco (Manuel Vallade) tries to help his father Jean-Claude (Philipp de Jacquelin Dulphé) out of a rut that has seen his life become stagnant and he wants to tackle his father’s lack of interest in his love life. Gault captures two men who clearly love one another but aren’t able to be vulnerable and open with one another, reflective of what many men go through – gay or straight – with their fathers.
The collection comes to a close with Mathilde Bayle’s ‘The Swimming Trunks’, the strongest of the four shorts here. 10-year-old Remi (Roger Manning) becomes fascinated by Stephane (Stanley Weber), the father of one of his friends, during a holiday at the seaside. Stirring up feelings inside him, Remi carefully watches Stephane and steals his swimming trunks. Unsure of what he’s feeling, but knowing that he wants to be close to Stephane, Remi embarks on a journey of self-discovery that will help him come to an important realisation. Bayle handles the story so sensitively and so beautifully that you can’t help but fall in love with this short. Every gay man can remember his first crush as a child, and Bayle perfectly captures the rollercoaster of feelings that go with that.
‘The French Boys 2’ continues to deliver fantastic high-quality shorts from French film-makers. With longer durations for each short, there’s more to sink your teeth into in this collection and honestly it’s worth checking out solely for ‘The Swimming Trunks’. With two more parts to come in January, ‘The French Boys’ series is well on its way to becoming NQV’s best series so far and I can’t wait to see more.
Cast: Solal Forte, Jean-Baptiste Le Vaillant, Yann Gael, Adam Procida, Manuel Vallade, Philippe de Jacquelin Dulphé, Roger Manning, Stanley Weber Directors/writers: Benjamin Vu, Yohann Kouam, Damien Gault, Mathilde Bayle Certificate: 18 Duration: 92 mins Released by: NQV Media Release date: 13th December 2021 Buy ‘The French Boys 2’ now
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