North Sea Texas Reviews

Never has coming out been such a non-event as it is in North Sea Texas. There’s something refreshing about that, but that’s also part of the problem. Despite there being a pileup of occurrences and incident, nothing seems to matter in the life of the main character, Pim (Jelle Florizoone).

 

He’s a silent observer throughout his life, never reacting too much to what happens in spite of repeated parental abandonment, unrequited love, and the suffocation of small town life in the 1950s. The Belgian town presented here brushes up to the edges of magical realism in the ways that nothing seems to matter beyond the internal pressures of Pim. He experiences little to no homophobia, winds up with a happy ending, and ends up for the better when his neglectful mother runs off with a travelling carny. Is it realistic? No, but it’s certainly lulling in its quietness and profuseness of kitsch.

 

North Sea Texas does excel in creating beautiful images and a lovely atmosphere, especially in scenes of erotic tenderness and exploration between Pim and Gino (Mathias Vergels). It manages to create an entirely hermetic world that seems to exist alternately outside and within Pim’s imagination, like he’s some kind of benevolent god creating order and stability in the face of opposition and chaos.

 

Yet this doesn’t make for a compelling viewing experience as the characters remain in stasis, as if we’re watching them try to emote through amber. Pim is one-note and a bit of a waste of Florizoone’s clear talents as a performer. North Sea Texas is clearly aiming for some kind of emotional catharsis or rapture in its final moments, but it falls limp as its failed to give voice to Pim’s frustration. He’s a dreamer wafting through his gloom in pretty lighting and ambient music playing in the background.

Back in the 50's and 60's, any movie that dealt with gay themes was radical and ahead of it's time. A GLBT film didn't have to be insightful or even particularly good- the filmmaker was risking his credibility and his career just putting himself (or herself) out there.

Now, however, things have changed- with entire gay film companies making movies available at the click of a button, directors of these movie must not merely be willing to make movies- they must be the best they can be, and no less. Movies about the gay experience are in high demand, and makers and distributors of these films don't need to be afraid anymore.

There have been some extraordinary films made about gay issues the last few years- "Weekend," "Tomboy," "Pariah," and "Gun Hill Road," to name of few... and Belgian filmmaker Bavo Defurne's "North Sea Texas" has garnered some acclaim. Unfortunately, "North Sea Texas" is a disappointment, marred by uninteresting characters and a rushed pace.

Pim (Jelle Florizoone), a pixyish, and disturbingly, often meagerly clothed teenage boy, is first seen played by Ben Van den Heuvel as a child, putting on a sash and a tiara for his own enjoyment. The son of a irresponsible mother (Eva van der Gucht) and a father who has long been out of the picture, Pim longs to escape is dull life. Mom is a frequent visitor of the 'Texas' tavern, where she and her boyfriend get liquored up.

As a fifteen-year-old, Pim hates his mother's loutish boyfriend but loves Gino (Mathias Vergels,) his boy neighbor and best friend. Unfortunately, Gino's sister Sabrina (Nina Marie Kortekaas) is in love with Pim, and can't understand why Pim shows more interest in her motorcycle-riding brother.

When Gino breaks Pim's heart and leaves, a love triangle develops between Pim, his mom, and handsome Gypsy Zoltan (Thomas Coumans.) But Pim's trials are not over, and his painful experiences lead to a eventual reconciliation.

I never really cared about Pim or any of the other characters- I guess that was one of the main problems with this film. Pim was nothing special- just your average soft, sensitive gay boy with a affinity for walking around unclothed. His apparent youth made his sexualization at the hands of the filmmaker seem somewhat skeevy.

Gino was a unsatisfying romantic interest who was willing to betray Pim just to go "Yeah, I'm straight" to the rest of the world. I didn't like him either. Sabrina was okay, but she was a bit of a whiny busybody brat. I mean, who just goes into a person they like's room and starts browsing through papers?

The only things I liked about "North Sea Texas" were the decision to cast a fat person as Pim's mother, Pim's performance, and the scene at the end where Pim and Sabrina comes to a silent truce. Otherwise, the movie was startlingly mediocre, and I hope you'll take a pass on this one in order to watch a more worthy likewise-themed movie.