Like an uncanny fairy tale — by turns thrilling, mysterious, and erotic — Strange River casts a marvelous spell on its viewers as it unfolds a transformational week in the life of 15-year-old Didac. A handsome boy from Barcelona, Didac is somewhat reluctantly along for the ride on a camping trip with his close-knit family, as they bike along a scenic rushing river somewhere in Germany. But Didac is being disturbed by strange dreams (or are they apparitions?) of a beautiful boy water nymph, and to his sensitive parents (who are very aware that Didac may be pining for a boy back home), their adolescent seems distant and changing. As the trip continues, the spell of the river is revealed to be a powerful force in all of their lives.

Rich with capital-R Romantic moodiness (they’re in Goethe country, after all) and a score that doesn’t restrain itself from swelling into rapturous Ravel or haunting Bach, Strange River captures both the wonder and terror of sexual awakening.