Just Friends has finally arrived for us to enjoy.
We introduced you to Just Friends this time last year. The Dutch film begins with Joris and family on the anniversary of his father’s death. Joris’s grandmother has undergone several surgeries, so his family hires a man named Yad to help around the house. But as time goes by, the two men become more acquainted and realize their feelings are more than just friendly. Unfortunately, their mothers aren’t as accepting. Not of the gay part, mind you, but of how the relationship is changing them.
“Refreshingly, the family conflict in this romantic comedy is not that Joris and Yad are gay, but that they are defying family expectations in other ways and must make a new set of choices about how to be themselves,” wrote Frameline in its review of the movie. “It’s a truly modern tale of queer love.”
Just Friends started out as a TV movie that then made the rounds at the festival circuit. While being celebrated for its romantic comedy feel mixed with family drama, the story also received some controversy for its heightened sexuality.
But are those scenes as adult and mature as conservative reviewers would have us believe? We’ll have to see for ourselves as the film has been released on DVD and Amazon Prime video.
If you want to see a bit before buying the film, you can check out the UK and US trailers, by Peccadillo Pictures and Wolfe Video respectively, below.
