Sebastian (film)
Encyclopedia
Sebastian is a 1995 Swedish
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....

 film based on the novel by Per Knutsen
Per Knutsen
Per Knutsen is a Norwegian novelist, author of children's literature, crime writer and playwright. He made his literary debut in 1976 with the children's book Gutten og ørna. He received the Norwegian Critics Prize for Best children's book in 1982 for Gull og sølv.-References:...

 that chronicles the coming out
Coming out
Coming out is a figure of speech for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people's disclosure of their sexual orientation and/or gender identity....

 experience of a teenage boy. It is directed by Svend Wam
Svend Wam
Svend Olaf Wamnes Akstuft, known as Svend Wam is a Norwegian film director. He is known for his cooperation with Petter Vennerød, creating fourteen films under the moniker Wam og Vennerød.-Filmography:...

.

Plot

16-year-old Sebastian (Hampus Björck) has nice parents and a great circle of friends, is doing well in school, has good looks, and leads a happy life -- or at least that is what everyone thinks. Secretly, he has been brooding for some time over the fact that he is in love with his best friend, the rather hunky Ulf (Nicolai Cleve Broch
Nicolai Cleve Broch
Nicolai Cleve Broch is a Norwegian actor of theatre and film. He rose to national fame playing one of the leading roles in the 2002 drama series Lekestue, which aired on NRK in 2002. He is also known for playing the protagonist in Buddy, a romantic comedy from 2003. Other major film credits...

).

One evening, after some playful frolicking around with Ulf, Sebastian plants a kiss on Ulf's lips, not exactly to the latter's delight. Being sexually rejected in this way throws Sebastian into an even deeper depression about his sexuality. He refuses to discuss these issues with his parents and only after a long talk with a female friend of his, who is also in love with Ulf and guesses correctly what Sebastian's problem could be, he opens up to his family and friends, only to find that it is not all that problematic to them.

Even the coming out to Ulf, which he anticipated to be very painful, turns out to be not so bad and actually takes a comical turn when Ulf admits to having had a homosexual experience himself some time ago. In the end, basically nothing has changed, except that Sebastian no longer has to waste energy guarding his secret and can instead concentrate on being happy, having fun with his friends, and perhaps finding a real boyfriend someday.

Reactions

In critical reviews, Sebastian is frequently dismissed as escapist gay youth fare that does not address any deeper issues. However, as the movie points out correctly, the most difficult part of the coming out process is fighting one's inner uncertainty and self-doubt. And even if (as in the case of Sebastian) a coming out is comparatively eventless, the inner resolve required to take that step stays the same.
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