North Sea Texas

Effective And Emotional: A Thoughtful Coming-of-Age Story From Belgium
The Belgian coming-of-age tale "North Sea Texas" might not win any awards for originality as you're certain to have seen dozens of films to follow a similar story arc. Despite its familiarity, though, it still works as an exploration of the sexual and romantic awakening of an awkward teen stranded in a desolate seaside village. Before going any further, let me clarify that Bavo Defurne's debut feature is NOT set in Texas. While I think this would be perfectly clear from the description, I just thought that I would mention it as the prospect of subtitles seems to put off certain viewers. But, as they say, love is universal. And the yearning and emotions inherent throughout "North Sea Texas" are sure to resonate with anyone who has ever had a crush or experienced the complications of first love.

The boy at the center of "North Sea Texas" is Pim (Jelle Florizoone). Although we glimpse a younger version of Pim in the movie's opening sequence, the narrative covers about...

The torments of puberty
Jelle Florizoone's portrayal of the teenage Pim is brilliant. His darting eyes take in everything: his mother's childish and irresponsible behavior, his friend's sister's obsession with him, the sexiness of the gypsy Zoltan, and so forth. Nothing escapes him, and nothing protects him from hurt. Both he and his best friend Gino each lives in a fatherless family. At first the duo is inseparable, and make love, but since Gino is three years older, he soon begins a relationship with Fran