Prior to the film, QP curator Renske Diks was going to talk with director Anthony Schatteman. Due to illness the director will not be present and unfortunately the fringe program cannot take place. Of course, the film screening will continue as planned.
Beautiful Thing
In a working-class London neighbourhood, somewhat shy teenager Jamie lives with his single mother Sandra. He is bullied at school for being gay. And he is; he is in love with classmate Ste, a boy who lives a few houses away. This one has a hard time, as he is regularly abused by his older brother and alcoholic father. One day Ste is so beaten up that Sandra takes him home. There is no spare bed, so he has to sleep with Jamie. When that happens again afterwards, the two have sex for the first time. A confusing and awkward time ensues.
This film by Hettie Macdonald, based on Jonathan Harvey's eponymous play, was originally intended as a television movie. But it was so well received that it was released in movie theatres after all. The film is one of the first to realistically portray a homosexual relationship between two teenagers.
Anthony Schatteman is a Belgian film director whose acclaimed feature debut Young Hearts premiered at the Berlinale. It is a personal and particularly strongly acted film about the love between two 14-year-old boys. Schatteman previously made several short films, of which his debut Kiss me gently (2012) won several awards.
