An Australian road trip turns into a teen’s affectionate awakening
With its similar story line about strangers meeting on a fateful trip, Goran Stolevski’s romantic drama “Of an Age” will draw comparison to the Richard Linklater “Before” trilogy. I’ve seen it described as “‘Before Sunrise,’ but gay,” an oversimplification that’s not exactly wrong. As in that 1995 Julie Delpy-Ethan Hawke film, two characters meet and connect over the course of one night. The men, Adam (Thom Green) and Kol (Elias Anton), then meet 11 years later when their circumstances are different.
A closer comparison might be Andrew Haigh’s “Weekend” (2011), a tale of romance and sexuality with a builtin expiration date. “Of an Age” writerdirector Stolevski adds a palpable amount of suspense to his film; the situations he creates are drenched in anxiety from the first frame.
The Australian-set “Of an Age,” now in theaters, opens in 1999 with Serbian immigrant Kol preparing for his high school senior dance class finals. His partner, Ebony (Hattie Hook) is missing in action, which sends Kol into spasms of worry. His fears intensify when he discovers that Ebony is miles away on some unidentified beach, the result of an all-night bender where she ingested speed and crossed paths with the shady men who left her there.
Watching Ebony scramble for some change to make phone calls adds a layer of cringe comedy to the frenetic opening act. The resulting screaming matches with Kol (she begs him not to tell either of their parents) may test the viewer’s patience, however. Ebony is the film’s catalyst — she’s the one who introduces Kol to her older brother, Adam — but she is also its weak link. Her grating character is meant to be a free spirit, but she’s not developed enough to feel like anything but a screenplay contrivance.
Thankfully, the potential romantic partners are written with more care. Upon Ebony’s advice, Kol solicits Adam to drive to Ebony’s location, then speed back to the dance finals. The more level-headed Adam informs Kol that, with Melbourne traffic, only a miracle will ensure the duo will dance that day. The personality differences between Adam and Kol force uncomfortable silences that Stolevski wisely lets play out before a gentle bond begins to develop between them.
Stuck in traffic, the two discuss high school, growing up in the same town, and the force of chaos that is Ebony. Adam is leaving for Buenos Aires the next morning to finish his studies. He chose that location because he believes “South Americans are hotter” than the Macedonian choices he had in their Australian community.
Throughout the road trip, Stolevski’s camera takes on Kol’s gaze. The closeted teenager visually caresses Adam’s body, casting furtive glances of which Adam may or may not be aware. It helps that the two actors glow in each others’ presence, turning up the heat onscreen. “Of an Age” successfully captures the fear that the object of one’s queer affection may be straight and unwilling to reciprocate.
Eventually, Adam discusses his recent breakup with his ex, whose boxes of personal items litter the back of Adam’s car. Nonchalantly, he lets slip that his ex is a man. The revelation adds to the “will they or won’t they” tension, which lasts for much of the film’s runtime before getting resolved in a sex scene that is both romantic and honestly depicted.
As in all bittersweet romances, the two lovers must part. However, “Of an Age” gives us a second act, set in 2010, where both Kol and Adam are reunited for Ebony’s wild wedding. The spark between the two men is rekindled, but the film has matured along with its protagonists; the adolescent, hopeful longing has now been replaced with the harsher realities of how lives change with the passage of time. Both actors effectively capture the physical changes — Anton loses his adolescent gawkiness, and Green looks wisened with age — and the emotional growth in their characters. (By design, Ebony remains largely the same.)
We’re uncertain as to how this reunion will resolve itself, especially when we learn of Adam’s unavailability. “Of an Age” leans into that uncertainty, ending on an ambiguous note that can be interpreted as heartwarming or heartbreaking. Either way, expect to shed a tear or two.