Devi Couzigou

Whether it's playing games in a military zone, cheating at school tests, crossing borders for cheap thrills or doing whatever it takes to make illicit money - these boys know that with every risk, they move closer and closer to an irreversible jeopardy. Deftly exploring masculinity and peer-pressure, these five coming-of-age tales from France, the Netherlands and Lithuania from burgeoning new filmmakers demonstrate that sometimes young hearts can run dangerously free. The short films are: Gotta (2015); The Last Day of School (2019); Tree House [Cabane] (2016); Gameboy (2014); Pollux (2018).

Johanna limits her visits to the apartment where her mother and her sister Laura live. Since the divorce of her parents, the family relationship clearly degraded. After a tense weekend, Johanna takes the subway back to her own apartment. On the way, she meets Lou, a lonely kid who ran away from home.

Tom is 16 years old, and he is the whipping boy of Evan who manufactures artisanal weapons. Since he survived the 'spudgun experimentation', he avoids passing by Evan's place. Only, Evan doesn't want to stop already as it just started to make fun.

Copkiller, Flé-O, Delete et King Kong ne jurent que par leurs casquettes taguées, jeans baggy et chaînes en or de gangsta rappeurs. Mais ces bad boys de la West Coast sont en réalité Malo, Erwan, Loïc et Brieuc, quatre adolescents maladroits et boutonneux et ils habitent en effet sur la côte ouest… mais à Plougoumelen en Bretagne !

Durant tout l’été, quatre adolescents se retrouvent illégalement sur une zone militaire pour construire une cabane. Mais la rentrée scolaire est proche et l’âge d’or qu’ils ont vécu autour de ce projet commence lentement à prendre fin.

Summer 1996. A small town nestled in the shadow of a gigantic factory. Ben, a shy eleven year old boy, lives there alone with his mom when she leaves him to strike. The coming of the troubling Eva in his bunch disturbs him a little bit more, especially when she mentions the legend of a mysterious creature hidden under a nearby lake's pontoon. As a game, Eva challenges Ben: walk through the "pontoon of the death", and come back. But Ben fails miserably. At night, the Creature appears to him.