Goran Stolevski is a Macedonian Australian. He was born in North Macedonia, which borders Greece and Serbia. He moved to Australia with his family when he was a child. He's now in his mid to late 30's. He's also openly gay. Stolevski wrote this film and his identity turns out to be important because this film incorporates that identity into his protagonist.
In terms of immigration, Macedonians represent a significant population, particularly in Melbourne, the second-largest city in Australia, and the setting of this film. This film isn't really about being Macedonian, but some of that immigrant experience is certainly present here. Stolevski's narrative is more about being gay before the turn of the 21st century. It's a coming-of-age tale for the most part, but Stolevski's inspiration seems to be mainly Andrew Haigh's Weekend (2011).
Elias Anton starred as a closeted swimmer in the Australian series Barracuda (2016). Here, he plays a closeted dancer named Nikola or simply "Kol." It's the year 1999. It's not sure how old he is, but we're to assume he's probably a teenager, most likely in his senior secondary school. Anton is an actor in his early to mid 20's. His look reads a bit older than an exasperated teenager, but Anton's performance, regardless, does nail that at times exasperated and at other times terrified and shy, pimply and pubescent boy at the prospect of first love or possibly, first, same-sex attraction.
It's not clear though that this is Kol's first same-sex attraction because his female friends read him as gay without him saying much. His reading might also be due to his choice of costume for his pending dance show. He wears a black sheer, see-through, V neck with sequins, which seems like a mix of Elvis Presley and Elton John.
Thom Green (Camp and Dance Academy) co-stars as Adam, the older brother to Kol's best friend. When Adam's sister wakes up and is stranded at a beach that is hours away, Adam has to help Kol drive all the way out there to pick her up. Afterward, Adam gives Kol a night ride, as well as a ride to other places throughout the film. In fact, the majority of the film is spent inside Adam's car, driving. This film could almost be described as a road trip flick. Adam takes the opportunity to get to know Kol and in some ways to seduce him. Like Weekend, the brief courtship is made even more brief due to the fact that Kol is leaving in a day to study linguistics at a university in Argentina. In Weekend, the equivalent character was off to study in the United States.
Stolevski shoots the film in 4:3 aspect ratio. Having the two characters spending the majority of the time in a car lends itself to the kind of intimacy that a pair might find in close quarters. Stolevski's 4:3 makes those scenes feel even more intimate. It also helps for the film to feel more immersive, as a way to intensify their moments together. Stolevski's writing is also about intimacy, the intimacy of getting to know someone. His subtly playful dialogue is a careful verbal dance between two men trying to gauge each other's interests. It's thrilling in a way because it's almost vital for a closeted homosexual to gauge the interests of the one with whom you're in close quarters, especially if you have romantic feelings for that one person.
Hattie Hook, in her feature debut, rounds out the cast as Ebony, the sister to Adam. She's an aspiring actress who also likes to dance, which is probably how she befriended Kol. The two of them were planning on dancing together at a competition, but her getting wasted throws a monkey wrench in that plan. She has a bit of a fiery temper though, which masks an insecurity that Kol often is the one to ease or pacify. Kol is sometimes a cheerleader for Ebony. She can be a bit self-involved, but there seems to be a genuine friendship between them.
Weekend was truly an example of "ships passing in the night." Stolevski's film takes that idea a little bit further. He even tries to subvert the idea somewhat. It's not clear how autobiographical this film is to Stolevski's life, but, being an immigrant and gay seems to be more conducive to experiencing the ships-passing-in-the-night phenomenon. The final sequence, which occurs at a wedding, is a perfect example of that.
Rated R for language, sexual content and drug use.
Running Time: 1 hr. and 40 mins.
Available on Peacock.