Queer films, while we are getting better, still feel largely few and far between. In Australia, LGBTQIA+ media still has a very long way to go, especially in the mainstream. In the last 10 years, the only one that really comes to mind is 'Holding the Man', and while on the indie scene there is much more, it's still disappointing that mainstream Aussie cinema hasn't quite gotten there yet. 'Of An Age' is the second feature film from Australian director Goran Stolevski ('You Won't Be Alone') and is not only getting a semi-major release backed by Roadshow, but in American it's getting a release by Focus Features.
SWITCH: 'OF AN AGE' TRAILER
In 1999, Kol (Elias Anton, TV's 'Barracuda') has just finished high school and is about to perform at the ballroom dancing finals with his dance partner Ebony (Hattie Hook, TV's 'Savage River'). On the day of the event, she calls him and tells him she's stranded on a beach after a wild night out and gets him to enlist her brother, Adam (Thom Green, TV's 'Dance Academy'), to pick her up and take them to the dance, so she won't get in trouble with her mother. On the long drive to find her Adam and Kol bond, and when Adam talks about his ex-boyfriend, Kol's world shifts and he begins to realise some things about himself, and the two realise they have a much deeper connection.
'Of an Age' is a queer delight, beautifully capturing first love and the struggles of being gay in Australia. Perfectly illustrating the fear and passion all queer people have gone through when they realise who they are, the film captures the moment when you finally know who you are and things start making sense but also the fear of the what world may think of you now that you've made that realisation.
'Of an Age' is a queer delight, beautifully capturing first love and the struggles of being gay in Australia.
The acting across the board is fantastic. Both Elias Anton and Thom Green encapsulate all of the emotion, the fear and the sexiness required of this film. Hattie Hook, here in her first feature, is a comedic knockout, very 'Kath & Kim' meets 'Jam'ie Private School Girl'; we all know someone like her... hell, we all are a little like her.
'Of an Age' is a romantic rollercoaster: the discovery of who you are, mixed in with meeting your first love. It's a thrill and high emotion all at once. Aided by phenomenal performances, a brilliant script as well as its Aussie flair. For anyone - but especially young Australian queer people - you have to see this film. Go out and support this LGBTQIA+ Aussie film to make sure we can get more cinema like this sooner rather than later.
