Too Young

Huang's prize-winning debut deals with the stresses of adolescence: sexual stirrings, mental doubts, physical insecurities and the fear of death. A quiet schoolboy in the middle of the transition from dumbbells to New Age meditation tapes goes out of his way to befriend the new boy in class: a strong, pensive guy rumoured to have attempted suicide at his previous school. The nearest they ever get to making love is taking a nude swim together during a school air-raid drill, but they do penetrate each other's shells. Huang compares their hesitations with the absolute faith of a Buddhist monk, as if to suggest that they, too, are on a spiritual path. Thanks to remarkably believable performances from both boys, it has the aura of a small classic.