Our take
Why a bar in the middle of the Belgian countryside is named Texas, we aren’t given an explanation. But North Sea Texas has a bit of the Southern small town charm that marked plenty of old American indies, with its retro neighborhood, lovers next door, and a more grounded approach to romance compared to its European neighbors of the time. The surrounding drama is a bit convoluted and, well, melodramatic, with a love triangle involving Pim’s mom, as well as a funeral, but there’s a sweet simplicity to the way Pim and Gino’s romance unfolds. North Sea Texas doesn’t reinvent the genre, but it’s just a nice coming-of-age story that refreshingly doesn’t have to deal with discrimination.
Streaming arrival
The story
A teen boy living in a small town on the Belgian coast finds his ordinary life take an unexpected turn when a handsome traveler blows through town.
Elsewhere
"Brilliant, affecting filmmaking. A beautiful love story."
— Laura Bushell
After his alcoholic mom divorces his father, Pim moves to a run-down house in the Belgian countryside, dreaming of a better life as a princess or a beauty queen. However, the countryside is not without its charms, as Pim meets a handsome boy next door named Gino, who eventually becomes his best friend.
The scene where Gino’s mom reaches out to both of them, to have them holding hands… So cute.
It’s not actually set in Texas, though.
Who picked it
Isabella Endrinal is a curator at A Good Movie to Watch. She's now free from the corporate night shift. Previous articles have been published in outlets such as NANG Magazine. She's currently catching up on some classic films… if she isn't coping with the fact that the Haikyu anime will end soon.
