Single Street

This coming of age short film focuses on the award-winning Dutch short, To Play or to Die [Spelen of sterven] (1990), which follows the sensitive, introverted Kees who falls in love with Charel, of all people, the handsome and athletic bully of the class. When he thinks he might be interested in him, he throws himself into a whirlwind of events that ends in a terrible tragedy.

In this short motion picture, schoolboy Kees is intelligent, introvert and sensitive, but gets ridiculed verbally and physically at an all-boys school by mindlessly cocky class mates and even insensitive teachers, especially in gym, where his physical weakness is mercilessly abused to make him a defenceless laughing stock in front of his smirking peers. His awakening sexual interest goes to boys, and in particular to Charel, a beautiful athletic classmate who probably feels an undetermined interest but would never risk admitting (possibly not even to himself) having any gay or bi appreciation, least of all for a 'sissy', and thus remains unresponsive to shy Kees' overtures. When the hunk finally comes over to Kees' place while his parents are away, a desperate disappointment with a tragical twist is in the making…