The Story:
Just Friends is a gay romance about Joris (Josha Stradowski) and Yad (Majd Mardo), two twenty-something Dutch men living at home and unsettled in their lives. Joris’ father passed away when he was ten and a half and although his mother has moved on, Joris still misses him. Yad is a Syrian refugee who is employed by Joris’ grandmother, Ans (Jenny Arean), as a housekeeper. The two men meet when Joris visits his grandmother and there is instant chemistry.
The only thing this movie has going for it is the sexual tension between Joris and Yad. Although the script follows the basic story arc for a romance, it’s not done well and feels contrived. While Yad comes off as comfortable with his sexuality from the start, Joris is a bit of a question. We see him checking out a guy at the gym, but that’s not enough for us to know where he is on the spectrum of sexual identity.
The two men meet, flirt, then start dating with ease. It’s hinted at that Yad’s mother isn’t going to be happy when she finds out he’s dating Joris, but nothing ever comes of it. And Yad’s father is repeatedly seen watching his son from the second-floor window, suggesting some upcoming drama that never materializes. It isn’t until Yad and Joris go out to dinner and two guys start yelling gay slurs at them that things get heated. Joris gets angry and Yad tells him to let it go. But Joris doesn’t listen and gets up, walks over to the men and beats them up. Yad gets upset and the two separate.
Since we were never given any indication that Joris could be aggressive or that Yad was that passive, the scene seems to come out of nowhere. And that’s the biggest problem with Just Friends, all we really know about Joris and Yad is that they’re gay, living at home, and Joris misses his father. We don’t even know if they have any plans for what they want to do with their lives. Finding steady, meaningful work is part of Yad’s story, but nothing is ever done with it. Usually, one character in a romance will support the other, or they discover a common goal or interest, but for that to happen one of them would have to be interested in something.
The only character that has some definition is Ans, who is Joris’ grandmother on his maternal side. Ans is a savvy lady who speaks her mind and can read people really well. She catches on pretty quick that Yad and Joris are hitting it off and the scenes with her are some of the best. There were times when I wished Just Friends focused more on Ans than Joris and Yad.
Final Thoughts:
While the actors who play Joris and Yad, Josha Stradowski and Majd Mardo, have some real chemistry, it’s not enough to make Just Friends work. There honestly is nothing to see here.
