Queer Scandi coming-of-age series One of the Boys is a must-watch this Pride Month
Jacob Spang Olsen as Aksel and Jonathan Meinert Pedersen as Lau in One of the Boys. (Viaplay)
New Danish mini-series One of the Boys will be your next TV obsession as it explores toxic masculinity, the beauty of self-expression and a heartwarming gay romance.
For fans eagerly awaiting the next seasons of popular LGBTQ+ Netflix series Heartstopper or hit Swedish drama Young Royals, the hunt for your next dreamy queer romance is over.
Set in a small provincial town in Denmark, the upcoming Scandinavian LGBTQ+ series One of the Boys, created by 28-year-old director Teys Schucany, makes the perfect bite-size TV-watching pitstop this Pride Month.
According to the synopsis, the Denmark-based series, which includes English subtitles, follows 16-year-old Lau (Jonathan Meinert Pedersen), an awkward outcast who doesn’t talk about girls, sneak out to drink beer or play soccer like the other boys.
When Lau is shipped off to a summer summer camp known for its “prestige and honour”, he’s forced to overcome several mental and physical challenges.
As he struggles to live up to the masculine ideals and expectations from everyone there, he encounters the charismatic and “open-minded” Aksel (Jacob Spang Olsen) who is unafraid to be his true self and speak his mind.
The two strike up a friendship that soon blossoms into something more, with the trailer teasing a beautiful coming-of-age love story that’s sure to be relatable to anyone who has had to grapple with their sexuality in a small, backwards town.
Described as “sensitive, funny, heart breaking and poetic”, One of the Boys unpacks the toxic cis straight hyper-masculine environment that holds back young LGBTQ+ people – and the radical joy of finding people who understand you for who you are.
The one-minute trailer begins with Lau arriving at the “man-cation”, where Aksel jokes to him: “Don’t you find it creepy that two grown men take these young boys out into a cabin to play?”.
As the camp instructors list all the qualities a “real man” possesses such as “brute strength” and “stamina”, Lau and Aksel deal with bullying and homophobic slurs from their peers. But among the pain, their bond stands strong as they Lau starts to question what it truly means to be “a man”.
Although Denmark has a good track record on LGBTQ+ rights, creator Schucany has said that One of the Boys is “first and foremost about bullying and ‘everyday homophobia’.”
“I think it’s an important series for young people today and especially young boys, where unfortunately the idea of a real man is quite narrow”, he wrote on Instagram.
“And also to all the adults, who unfortunately also in the best sense, are part of maintaining the narrowness. And here someone is being squeezed tremendously, Lau, who is played sublimely by Jonathan Pedersen.”
The four-episode mini series was picked up under the Viaplay Original Talent Awards which is nurturing up and coming Scandinavian talent.
One of the Boys will release on Viaplay on Thursday, 8 June 2023.
