Block Pass

Reckless, intense, and difficult: that’s motocross, but that’s also life when adulthood is just around the corner. Block Pass tells the story of that time powerfully yet with sensitivity.

Described as a coming-of-age and queer film, Antoine Chevrollier’s Block Pass takes the audience to a remote village in western France where motocross is popular among the locals. When the prospect of adulthood is daunting, revving the engine and measuring one’s courage on the tracks provide strength. To escape the weight of studies and the village’s stifling atmosphere, the boys tear along the tracks at breakneck speed, finding in the ride a fleeting sense of peace and the admiration of others.

The main character Willy’s best friend JoJo is the most promising rider in the area, and Willy is his most loyal ally. Both of their fathers competed in their day. JoJo’s strict father monitors his son’s training and fiercely believes that JoJo will take the Championship. He is haunted by his own old, failed dreams, just as Willy is haunted by memories of his own deceased father. Neither of them knows how to let go, even though it would perhaps be best for them to do so.

A drama inspired by Boys Don’t Cry that grips its audience with the same intensity it demands of its characters. Bathed in vivid, revealing light, the film brings to life both the intensity and beauty of youth, as well as the dusty old values that still linger. The fire spreads like a flame in gasoline: you either burn—or play along.

Susanna Puomio (translated by Pauliina Jännes)