The world was introduced to Dutch actor Josha Stradowski when he was cast as Rand al’Thor in the Prime Video fantasy drama series The Wheel of Time.
Based on Robert Jordan‘s book series, The Wheel of Time tells an expansive story about a world of magic, prophecies, and destinies.
Given how much revolves around his character’s history and future, Stradowski’s Rand is at the center of the narrative.
The actor has been a standout in the show’s large ensemble thanks to his alluring portrayal of the unpredictable character whose depth increases with every season.
Three seasons in, Stradowski remains a great attraction to the series.
However, he had established himself as an actor in his home country of the Netherlands before being cast in the world-popular series made for television by Rafe Judkins.
One of his best performances is in a Dutch gay romantic comedy film, Gewoon Vrienden, directed by Ellen Smit.
The movie’s English title is Just Friends. It tells the story of Joris Wierijn (Stradowski), a young Dutch gay man at a pivotal time in his life who finds love when he least expects it.
‘Just Friends’ Explores Family Dysfunction Fuelled by Loss
While the movie is a classic rom-com and features most of the tropes, loss is at the center of it, at least as far as Joris is concerned.
The young man has an ideal life — he’s young, attractive, queer, rich, and creative.
However, he’s stuck after losing his father. The movie portrays Joris’ father as a complicated man, but he was the best dad to Joris.
After his death, all his shortcomings come to light, coupled with his sudden demise, Joris and his mother pull apart from each other.
Just Friends begins with the duo plus Joris’ sister picking up his ashes, but they don’t want to be responsible for disposing of them.
His father’s demise remains a constant presence throughout the film as Joris procrastinates dealing with the task and distracts himself with other things.
Joris’ queerness is not at the center of the narrative, but the film does not ignore it either.
Like many young men his age, he’s horny quite often, but when he meets Yad Mousa (Majd Mardo), their attraction is instaneuous, at least from Joris’ side of things.
It goes deeper than watching some guy’s bulge at the gym or watching porn.
Yet, even Yad has his stuff he’s dealing with, which creates some conflict in their relationship at some point.
But in the end, they work through things. Joris makes a breakthrough after losing his dad, while Yad finds solid ground in his shaky life.
‘Just Friends’ Tackles Some Important Topics
For a movie that is less than ninety minutes, Just Friends succeeds in choosing its battles and fighting them well.
It keeps Joris’ loss a constant presence throughout, never letting the viewer forget what the central problem is.
Even with Yad, it explores his quarter-life crisis well.
The movie touches on some social issues, including racism, since Yad is Arabic, and you know that little huge problem called racism? Turns out it’s just a human vice that no one has ever known the solution to.
Yad faces racist stereotypes and microaggressions from many people, including Joris’ mother, Simone (Tanja Jess).
While the script does not explore the complicated dynamics of races in the Netherlands, it does enough to show that it’s a clear problem.
One nice touch is that it doesn’t go the obvious route and flips the script by making Joris’ grandmother the least racist character.
Race does not affect Joris and Yad’s relationship to a huge extent since Joris is not racist, allowing their love story to flourish.
Joris Was Written for Josha Stradowksi
Joris, like Rand, feels like it was created with Stradowski in mind — that is a testament to his versatility as an actor and a well-written script.
He brings Joris to life with a measured portrayal, which makes for a more engaging experience.
It’s clear that Joris is not the funniest character, given his mental state and personality, but the movie more than makes up for it with the rest of the cast.
Stradowski is objectively handsome (someone could even say fu***ng hot), which can sometimes be a liability. He has a pretty face and a banging body, which is well-integrated in the narrative.
As a young man with wealthy parents, Joris’ life revolves around filmmaking and staying physically fit.
Those attracted to jocks with a perfect body fat percentage will enjoy watching Stradowski as Joris because the film doesn’t shy away from highliting all his best qualities without feeling like its exploting them.
Verdict
Just Friends makes for a heartwarming experience, and Stradowski is a big part of that.
Rating: 7/10
Streaming on Prime Video.