Of an Age (2023)
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Of an Age Movie Review
Of an Age is a 2023 Australian romantic drama film directed by Goran Stolevski and starring Elias Anton and Thom Green. It’s another stellar feature from the great Stolevski.
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“You beautiful boy“
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In the summer of 1999, a 17-year-old Serbian-born Australian amateur ballroom dancer experiences an unexpected and intense 24-hour romance with a friend’s older brother. Goran Stolevski is one of the biggest rising stars in the world of directing right now. His debut feature from last year about the witches in Macedonia was one of the strongest debuts in quite a while. With his second feature, he went back to mine from his own experiences, leading to a more personal and intimate story for him.
This film is a true romance, which is to be valued at an age when romantic movies are becoming rarer and rarer. It’s a film that is very universal in its framing as a love that wasn’t meant to be and just how powerful first love can be, but it’s also very much specific to the gay experience in showcasing just how different the paths in life are for gay people. It’s that perfect mix of universality and specificity that is always a potent one to seek.
Elias Anton and Thom Green delivered such terrific performances that they significantly elevated their somewhat underwritten roles. The characters worked and were very well written, but they could have been more complex and we needed to have seen more of their backstories. But these young actors delivered outstanding performances and their chemistry is simply off the charts.
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Rare are films that have such incredible chemistry between their lead actors and this is one of them. Yes, at first the older character seemed a bit too aggressive in his flirting, but eventually their blossoming love became beautiful and timeless. The dialogue is exceptional throughout and very realistic while the dynamic between them is very playful and endearing. Whenever the two talked or glanced at each other, the film burst with energy and excitement.
Of an Age is also quite effective in its time jumping mechanic. The actors looked different, which was important, and the dynamic was changed significantly, resulting in such a moving finale that was downright heartbreaking in its implications. It’s ambiguous at the end of the day, but its connotations are definitely that this will be their last time seeing each other.
As a guy living in Serbia, it was also wonderful seeing finally such neutral and/or positive representation of Serbs living in a foreign country. The exploration of the Balkan migrants within the country of Australia was great and the movie was honest in showcasing that life for them is bound to be even tougher if they aren’t straight. The two characters are ultimately so different, but their chemistry felt so real, which made their relationship truly special and believable.
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The movie is also very well filmed. Yes, the usage of close-ups is a bit overwhelming, but for the most part they worked in letting us know the emotions of the characters. It’s such an intimate film in its approach and very minimalist in its execution, which I adore. The sister/friend character was too obnoxious and too often the movie was concerned with her instead of our main couple, but for the most part the editing, directing and acting were superb, leading to one of the better gay romances out there.
Of an Age is another incredible film from the great Goran Stolevski, who in his sophomore feature has already proved to be one of the most promising rising talents in the current world of directing. While the film is simple and minimalist in its story, it is also quite strong in the depiction of first love and just how powerful it can be. The lead actors have outstanding chemistry, leading to all of their shared scenes feeling very believable. The ending is truly heartbreaking.
My Rating – 4.5
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