Queerly Ever After #48: JUST FRIENDS (2018)

Queerly Ever After is a bi-monthly column where I take a look at LGBT+ films that gave their characters a romantic happily-ever-after. There will be spoilers. Also, don’t forget to buy your Queerly Ever After merch right here.

Yad (Majd Mardo) is a 26-year-old Syrian-Dutch man, he has just returned home to his parents after being in Amsterdam, where he was studying medicine, but mostly partying. Unsure what to do with his life, he gets a job as a domestic helper for the elderly. His mother, Maryam (Nazmiye Oral), is dismayed by his recent life choices and wants nothing more than for him to finish his studies and become a doctor. Joris (Josha Stradowski) is a 22-year-old Dutch man, still not over his father’s death 11 years ago, he lives with his plastic-surgery-addicted mother, Simone (Tanja Jess), and spends his days playing with his drone.

Grandmother Knows Best

One of the elderly people who Yad works for is Ans (Jenny Arean), who also happens to be Joris’ grandmother. Yad and Ans quickly strike up a close friendship. Ans is quite a character, she’s a hilarious 80-year-old woman who does all she can to be there emotionally for Joris since Simone often isn’t. She’s also at times a very sad character. She initially believes Yad to be Jewish which brings back her memories of growing up during the Holocaust and losing her best friend Sasha, a young Jewish girl. One day, when Yad is over at her house, Joris stops by to bring her groceries. The two men immediately become attracted to each other, which Ans notices. So, she does what any great-grandma does, pushes them to go out.

Both Yad and Joris are out of the closet and accepted by their friends and family for their sexuality. Both young men are on a journey of self-discovery throughout the film, but none of that discovery has to do with their sexuality. Yad needs to reconcile his family’s goals and dreams for him with what he actually wants to do with his life, and Joris needs to come to terms with his father’s death and figure out how to move forward with his mother. Yad’s mother also has never approved of his boyfriends, not because he is gay, but like many mothers, she never believes them to be good enough for her son.

Dating Can be Hard

After one particularly disastrous date, in which Joris physically accosts a man who harassed them for being gay, Yad, who would rather ignore men like that instead of starting a fight, decides he and Joris should just be friends. Ans of course immediately notices the rift between them.

She doesn’t know why they split, but like the good old yenta she is, she wants them to get back together. They do eventually realize that they are in love and they can’t be just friends, and after finally getting acceptance from each other’s parents, they reconcile. Much to grandma’s delight.

In Conclusion: Just Friends

This is a fun, sexy, rom-com. It loses a little steam in the second half when it veers away from its more comedic elements, but it’s still a worthwhile watch. As always, it’s nice to see an LGBTQ+ movie where the central conflict does not revolve around the characters’ sexuality or gender identity. On a technical level, this movie really knew how to utilize its budget and feel modern, often incorporating footage from Joris’ drone, and also split-screen shots of the text messages, Snapchat, Instagram posts, and FaceTime calls of the main characters.

Just Friends premiered in the USA at the Frameline Film Festival on June 20, 2018. For all other release dates, see here.