All the Young Dudes

A profound nice surprise. For seduction, realism, for graceful exploration of intolerance, friendship, pasion for music and atmosphere of a small town in 1970.

And for the precise message about loneliness and the tool to answer to prejudices of others - a great scene, indeed in lockerroom - , for the reaction of a shy guy , discovering a good fellow for its interest and , not last, the emotion , well crafted, well proposed, nice developed.

In short, a seductive short movie, gentle and energetic and useful kick for a teen to be himself in pure and precise and natural manner.

So, just beautiful.

I have been waiting to see this short for a while. I got to catch it at the 2021 CENFLO Film Festival and was impressed at how quick it established the characters. You watch the toxic environment of high school in 1973 where the out and proud rock-loving student, Billy, comes strolling down the halls being bullied by his peers. He protests with a "rocking" surprise in the locker room that catches the attention of Jacob, a quiet and timid boy. Jacob follows Billy after school and the two learn the importance of being themself even when the world around them disagrees. The cinematography was great including the story. Even though it was short, it pulled you into these two characters and honestly left you wanting more on their journey. But my favorite part of the film is when Billy and Jacob have this moment where they realize the other's pain. But instead of consoling each other by a kiss (which many queer films always do to answer someone's frustration), Billy puts makeup on Jacob. It feels like a more intimate moment between the two characters rarely seen on film. You felt the sincerity of both boys trying to find meaning in their lives and in each other. If you get a chance to see this, please do so if you enjoy fun fables with a moving message.