Maximilien Decorse

Whether it's playing games in a military zone, cheating at school tests, crossing borders for cheap thrills or doing whatever it takes to make illicit money - these boys know that with every risk, they move closer and closer to an irreversible jeopardy. Deftly exploring masculinity and peer-pressure, these five coming-of-age tales from France, the Netherlands and Lithuania from burgeoning new filmmakers demonstrate that sometimes young hearts can run dangerously free. The short films are: Gotta (2015); The Last Day of School (2019); Tree House [Cabane] (2016); Gameboy (2014); Pollux (2018).

Alexis Pasquier, a young French teacher, begins his first day of classes at the Nancy prison. There he meets Léa, a young woman with whom he falls madly in love. Two worlds open up to him: true love and the prison environment. He will never be the same anymore.

No summer camp this year for 13-year-old Vivian and Max because of the imminent closure of the factory where their parents are working. But Vivian has a plan to make money and allow them to go to the camp anyway. Accompanied by Tom, their childhood friend, they will run into a race against time.

Jonathan, 13 years old, spends his summer holidays at a mountain campsite with his mother. One afternoon, his mother sends him to walk the dog in order to receive her lover. The lover's son, accompanied by another teenager, makes Jonathan drink Pastis and drags him into a cruel and sadistic game. The humiliation will reach a point of no return and will mark all three of them for life.