a short film by Margien Rogaar 2007 | 10 mins | Netherlands ›› Breath - Zucht a sweet tale of a teenage boys’ first crush As sweet as honey on a warm summer day, this laid-back tale from the Netherlands refreshingly casts aside the mindset of ‘am I gay?’ to focus instead on the story of a teenage boys’ first crush. For twelve-year-old Erik finds himself increasingly attracted to the physical frame of Arend; the father of his best friend Sofie. Trouble is, Sofie has the hots for him, being only too willing to extend an invitation to Erik to join father and daughter on a bicycle ride to a nearby lake. Only once in the water, can Erik turn the situation around and show Arend the true nature of his heart? With Erik voyeuristically casting his eyes in Arend’s direction as he strips out of his clothes and into his beach shorts, the object of his attraction is all but obvious. Only here both director Margien Rogaar and screenwriter Tjyying Liu take it slow, deliberately teasing the audience over how Erik plans to express his adolescent adoration, whilst all along laying the foundation stone for the act itself. And put it this way, a lot can happen in ten seconds. Perfectly handled by the young cast, with Roeland Fernhout as the father of the piece reduced to mere cinematic eye-candy, this marks a fine example of the coming-of-age scenario, as pangs of first love hit the screen in an ever so gentle way. Delightful. Gay Visibility - overt in an ever so gentle way.  Nudity - naked from behind.  Overall - a worthy effort ... 4 stars.  coming to DVD 26th April 2010 as part of the Peccadillo Pictures catalogue 'Boys on Film 4: Protect Me from What I Want' release starring: Yannick de Waal, Moo Miero and Roeland Fernhout Copyright 2010 David Hall - www.gaycelluloid.com. archive reference #269 ›› previous page | back to top | print me ‹‹