Aspiring ballroom dancer Kol (Elias Anton) has to abandon a dancing competition when his partner, and close friend, Ebony (Hattie Hook) wakes up in the middle of nowhere after a night out. Hitching a lift with her brother Adam (Thom Green), Kol sets off to find Ebony and unexpectedly connects with Adam, who is openly gay. That connection stirs feelings that Kol has pushed deep down inside and over the course of 24 hours the two men get ever closer despite the fact that Adam is about to move to South America.
‘Of An Age’ is a film from film-maker Goran Stolevski, who grew up in North Macedonia before emigrating with his family to Australia when he was a teenager. Rather than being a straight-forward coming-of-age (and coming out) drama, Stolevski has crafted a film set in Australia that deals with both sexuality and societal issues. The audience knows from early on that Kol doesn’t really have any friends and we see him receiving racist abuse from those around him due to his Serbian heritage. That leaves him fairly isolated as he can’t reveal his sexuality to his family for fear of being cast out, and his one friend Ebony is a mess of a human being who is too self-absorbed to see anything outside of her own bubble.
The first half of ‘Of An Age’ takes place in 1999 and focuses primarily on the first meeting between Kol and Adam. Kol is caught off-guard by Adam’s open admission regarding his sexuality and despite his best efforts, he is intrigued by his new companion. At first Kol tries to prove he’s fine with Adam’s sexuality but as the two spend time together, it becomes clear that Adam is the person Kol wishes he was brave enough to be. The spanner in the works, of course, is that Adam is leaving the country the next day so any connection the two shares will be short-lived.
For the back half of the film, time jumps forward to 2010 when Kol and Adam meet again. I won’t go into too much detail about the situations they both find themselves in but it’s suffice to say that both characters are in very different places. While Adam has continued living his life, Kol has been stuck in a loop reliving the day they spent together in 1999. Stolevski allows the characters to explore the way that life moves differently for people and these two characters, who were once so in sync even if just for a short space of time, are now out of sync and coasting by on their relationship from years earlier.
Crucial to the film are the performances of Elias Anton and Thom Green, who sizzle the minute they lay eyes on each other. Anton particularly shines as he digs into Kol’s awkward nature and presents a very real portrayal of a young man who isn’t at ease with himself. Green on the other hand exudes confidence as Adam, portraying him as someone who knows exactly who he is and makes no apologies for it. The interaction between the two actors is what carries the film and I wish we’d got to spend a little more time with them.
‘Of An Age’ doesn’t particularly break any new ground although kudos should be given to Stolevski for layering his story so it’s not just another coming-of-age drama. There are plenty of those already in gay cinema and ‘Of An Age’ manages to find its own voice ensuring it will find a willing audience, even if it doesn’t push the boundaries too far. The film does an admirable job of tackling societal issues but it could have dug just that bit deeper to really set itself apart.
Cast: Elias Anton, Thom Green, Hattie Hook Director: Goran Stolevski Writer: Goran Stolevski Certificate: 15 Duration: 100 mins Released by: Focus Features Release date: 7th August 2023 Buy ‘Of An Age’ now
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