Tethered Wings [Les ailes collées] *** (2025, Roby Schinasi, Jérémy Kapone, Émilie Caen, Max Libert, Alexis Rosenstiehl) – Classic Movie Review 14,016

The 2025 French TV movie Tethered Wings [Les ailes collées] stars Roby Schinasi as Paul, who is surprised to see his former teenage sweetheart Joseph (Jérémy Kapone) on his wedding day after 20 years.

Director Thierry Binisti’s 2025 French TV movie Tethered Wings [Les ailes collées] is based on the 2022 book of the same name by Sophie de Baere, and is written by Alexis Bayet and Alain Layrac.

The adult Paul (Roby Schinasi) is surprised by his former childhood sweetheart Joseph (Jérémy Kapone)’s return on his wedding day, after losing touch 20 years ago. With burning memories of their scorching summer 1983 together, when their relationship was discovered, triggering a wave of violent homophobic harassment, Paul is overwhelmed by doubts about his life choices and the emotions of this dazzling but secret relationship. Max Libert and Alexis Rosenstiehl play young Paul and Joseph.

The 2025 film Tethered Wings [Les ailes collées] is a wildly romantic, and melodramatic French gay drama, enjoyable, but a film concoction, so unreal, yet still smooth and professional, moving back and forward 20 years easily, alternating between past and present strain-free.

It’s hard to accept the two older actors as the adult versions of the teens (they don’t look or seem at all alike), as hard as accepting the final twists and turns of the story (pretty preposterous but amusing anyway).

There are a few traces of a more serious-minded film here in the subjects of homophobia, queer bashing, infidelity, and they are certainly there. But the romantic drama takes them over. and, why not, otherwise it would just be a lecture or a dull documentary. In the end, it is quite a fine romance, even if it is a bit Mills and Boony.

Duration: 90 minutes.

It was first broadcast on May 8, 2025.

The cast are Émilie Caen as Blanche, Paul’s mother, Max Libert as Paul as a teenager, Alexis Rosenstiehl as Joseph as a teenager, Roby Schinasi as Adult Paul, Jérémy Kapone as Joseph as Adult, Julien Tortora as Charles, Paul’s father, Betty Pierucci Berthoud as Cécile (child), Pauline Bression as Ana, Constance Dollé as Iris, Joseph’s mother, Camille Genau as Cécile as Adult.

© Derek Winnert 2026 – Classic Movie Review 14,016

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