North Sea Texas (Noordzee, Texas) is a Belgian coming-of-age drama that delicately explores love, identity, and self-discovery. The film follows Pim, a teenage boy growing up in a small coastal town, as he navigates unrequited love and the longing for acceptance.

The film is visually soft and melancholic, with a dreamlike atmosphere that mirrors Pim’s emotions. Unlike more dramatic LGBTQ+ films, North Sea Texas embraces subtle storytelling, relying on glances, silences, and fleeting moments of affection rather than grand gestures.

Pim (Jelle Florizoone) is a quiet, artistic boy living with his free-spirited but neglectful mother, Yvette (Eva Van der Gucht), a former beauty queen who spends more time flirting with men than raising her son.

Pim harbors deep romantic feelings for his best friend, Gino (Mathias Vergels), an older boy who treats Pim like a younger brother but doesn’t fully understand his affections. As they grow older, Pim’s longing intensifies, but Gino begins dating a girl, Sabrina (Nina Marie Kortekaas), who is also Pim’s friend and Gino’s younger sister.

Feeling rejected and isolated, Pim finds solace in Zoltan (Thomas Coumans), an older man who rents a room from Sabrina and Gino’s mother. Meanwhile, Yvette’s unstable lifestyle leaves Pim yearning for a sense of belonging and the kind of love he cannot seem to find.

Through heartbreak, self-discovery, and quiet moments of joy, Pim learns to embrace who he is, even as the world around him struggles to understand.

North Sea Texas is a beautifully crafted coming-of-age story that captures the bittersweet nature of young love. It’s a film that doesn’t rely on dramatic twists, instead letting emotions unfold naturally.

If you enjoy introspective, visually poetic films like Call Me by Your Name (2017) or Summer Storm (2004), this might be a perfect watch.

Have you seen it? What did you think of Pim’s journey?