Bonus Track

Best lgbtq+ film I have seen in a long time. If you love Heartstopper you will adore Bonus Track.

I think this film is the perfect example of how to make a gay romance not about being gay. Of course it being set in 2006 and having both teenagers fail to conform to the relationship norms of that time, the romance itself I would describe as a friends to lovers, coming of age movie dedicated to the exploration of the struggles of school and exams and of course crushes. Both the leads acted their asses off in this film, making it even more re-watchable every time. I would 100% recommend to anyone wanting to have a cozy night in with some friends, soaking up the queer energy delivered in this beautiful film.

Just finished Bonus Track and honestly, I loved it. It's the kind of queer coming-of-age story that really gets under your skin in the best way-emotional, tender, and beautifully real. The chemistry between the two leads felt so natural and heartfelt, and the way the film handled identity, love, and self-expression was subtle but powerful. I could see parts of myself in the characters, especially in the quiet moments of vulnerability and longing. The cinematography was warm and intimate, and the soundtrack? Absolute perfection. Definitely one of those indie gems that stays with you after the credits roll. Highly recommend if you're into honest, beautifully told queer stories with heart.

Bonus Tracks (2024) Having gone into the film blind, there was no IMDb reviews at that point. I found a teen film based around two 16 year old boys, meeting with the pretext of helping the awkward and academically failing George, fall for the much cooler son of a musician Marvin.

George wants to leave school with something for his peers to remember him by, and he hopes that that will come at the school leavers show.

George enlists Marvin to help him with his keyboard ditty turning it into a upbeat pop singalong.

Think of Hugh Grant helping the socially awkward Marcus in "About A Boy" and you get the idea.

Its a strange film very badly cast with all of the 16 years kids, looking so much older, I'd guess the average age must be about 25 years old. Even Marvin wears a brace to make him look younger. It is an embarrassing mess of a film. Saying that if you were a teenager in 2006 the music will connect.

A poor 4/10

PS What was more annoying was my cinema treat of buying Cadbury's Crunchie Rocks only to discover that it only contained 15% honeycomb delight and 15% corn flakes, why call if Crunchie if it only contains 15% , Cadbury's hang your head in shame.

After watching a few really heavy gay-themed movies lately, this was absolutely the tonic I needed.

How lucky are young queer kids today that they get the opportunity to watch movies like this.

Some might say it's tropey, but I absolutely believe that this story hasn't been done in this way for a queer audience before.

It's warm, funny, sweet - but not as 'sickly sweet' as Heartstopper, which has been criticised as being a very sanitised version of a teen gay romance. This on the other hand feels less wistful and a bit more real (obviously it's still somewhat in the fantasy category though).

Very emotive like The Perks of Being a Wallflower, and really funny and taps into cultural references and great music like Big Boys. In fact, this is a great pick me up after the finale of season 3 of Big Boys.

If this was distributed on Netflix, it would be going crazy. This could be the best gay movie you've never heard of!

Thank you to the creators. Brilliant!

In small town 2005-6, George is in his last year of high school, and dreams of being a music star. However, he has failing grades, including music class, where he can only plunk out the same few notes that will form the rhythm track of his barely-started song. He holds out hope of being noticed at the year-end Leavers' Talent Show, though a kindly teacher warns him that, after the show, he will be leaving.

Along comes new student Max, son of a famous music duo (who recently separated, both professional and marital). Even if faulty, Max's rendition of a piano sonata is far above George's efforts. Despite being mobbed by girls, Max has his eye on George, and they work on his song together. While on an overnight trip to a challenge camp, Max gets George to sneak out with him to drink and have a kiss - which is captured by a paparazzo, making them big local news.

Max decides to leave for London, where he could be lost in the crowd, leaving George to perform alone at the Talent Show.

This film has an interesting concept of being divided up into "tracks", each part introduced with a different song. With his disinterest in them, the girls at school has already pegged George as gay, while lesser experience with Max means he is still not typecast - until the photo comes out. As the audience, we are waiting to see if the Bromance becomes something more.