A student strike at a Danish boys school paired with a budding young gay romance are the backdrops for ‘You Are Not Alone’, a landmark 1978 film from directors Lasse Nielsen and Ernst Johansen. 15-year-old Bo, a shy student at the boarding school and Kim, the son of the stern headmaster form a friendship that starts to turn romantic. Meanwhile, mounting school tensions over the expulsion of a troubled student explore the rebellious political attitude of youth in the 70s. Directors Lasse Nielsen and Ernst Johansen chose to create a film with these two radical themes to great effect with depth and candor. Their sensitive handling of controversial themes makes ‘You Are Not Alone’ a groundbreaking treatment of sexual liberation and the power of each individual voice, no matter how young or old.

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Video Quality

You Are Not Alone debuts on Blu-Ray courtesy of Altered Innocence with a digital AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.85:1 that is derived from a brand new HD restoration. The presentation retains the natural film grain throughout with image stability and delineation being quite strong. This transfer maintains a refined look rather than a clumpy or static mess. Instances of print damage such as nicks and scratches have almost all been cleaned up with overall clarity and detail delighting. There are still a few minor blemishes that have made it through the restoration gauntlet, but you can tell great care was taken here. Colors are favorably saturated with the natural hues coming through in a lovely way. Skin tones are natural and consistent with subtle features easily noticeable in closeup. Black levels hold up well with no serious instances of crush or banding observed. This is a first-rate presentation for a film that did not seem likely to ever receive such consideration.

Audio Quality

This Blu-Ray comes with a respectable DTS-HD 2.0 Master Audio track in the original Danish that captures the sonic ambitions. The environmental sounds of the locale come through effectively. When the characters walk in the woods or through a hallway, some nice ambient details ground you in the setting. The music renders with a fine fidelity on this disc. Dialogue typically comes through clearly without being lost to any competing sounds. The audio track accomplishes everything it needs to. Optional English and Spanish subtitles are provided.

Special Features

Trailers: A minute-and-a-half-long trailer is provided for You Are Not Alone. There are also trailers provided for Passing Strangers/Forbidden Letters, Ozon’s Transgressive Triple, Concrete Night, and Gay USA.

Final Thoughts

You Are Not Alone is a special bit of queer filmmaking that brings authenticity to the coming-of-age genre. Some elements will shock conventional audiences, but there is really nothing within this journey that pushes the boundaries of good taste. The young performers do a nice job of effortlessly bringing their characters to life. If you are not offended by the idea that adolescents experience profound sexual awakenings at a young age, there might be something here for you to appreciate. Altered Innocence has released a Blu-Ray featuring a great A/V presentation but next to nothing in the way of special features. Recommended

You Are Not Alone is currently available to purchase on Blu-Ray

Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the Blu-Ray.

Disclaimer: Altered Innocence has supplied a copy of this disc free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.