Surf’s up in this adorable Dutch romcom
Despite his death a decade before, Joris is still struggling with the relationship he had with his father. Reluctantly having to pick up his father’s ashes, a lot of his addled feelings are dredged up. Meanwhile, Yad lands back home after burning through his money on the Amsterdam party scene, having to move back in with his Syrian parents. Needing to pay his parents room and board, since his career as a surfing instructor has dried up, Yad ends up doing odd-jobs for an elderly Jewish woman, who just so happens to be – you guessed it – Joris’ grandmother. GASP! The two meet and romance ensues.
Though not re-inventing the wheel, this is one of those feel-good movies that’ll have you throwing a dart at a map of Europe and flying out in the hopes of finding a summer romance. Afternoons on the beach with him teaching you to windsurf, gently caressing your hips. Sign us up.
As fitness-obsessed rich kid Joris, Josha Stradowski gives an adorably naïve performance that has you wanting to caress his shaved head, with every single one of his frames giving you fashion editorial. His budding lover Yad, played by Majd Mardo, is a refreshing take on the experience of Syrians who fled conflict and forged a new life in Europe. It’s that kind of context that elevates this film, with events from the Holocaust to the refugee crisis providing a compelling component to how these characters relate to each other.
Working the camera lens into the narrative, Joris’ drone brings an interesting dynamic to the film and works in some breath-taking areal shots as he fiddles with the controller. The film is very ‘now’, with even Snapchat making a cameo and our young lovers bonding over the multi-layered folk crooning of Sufjan Stevens. How millennial!
A distinct highlight is Tanja Jess as Simone, a Real Housewife of Leeuwarden who’s always rushing off to meet with her surgeon. Stuffed into a tight body-con dress and 20-inch heels, she’s the plastic fantastic mother we never knew we wanted, serving enough lip-liner to keep the Kardashians in business. Pure early-noughties Jenifer Lopez movie levels of camp. Despite being bombastic, even she’s given a little heart, working out her complicated relationship with her ex-husband after his death. What Just Friends does well is giving you all of those rom-com tropes you’ve come to love, but elevating it with that extra dimension.
Just Friends is available to stream on Vimeo, and to own through digital download and DVD on iTunes and Amazon.
