Film Review - Of An Age (2022)

Out now on Digital Of An Age, read Cara McWilliam review — **Credit**: *Thuy Vy / © Of An Age Films Pty Ltd*

Writer and director Goran Stolevski’s sophomore feature is all about transformative connections. It is about that moment where you meet someone and, whether you know it or not at the time, they have a profound impact on your life. They see you for who you really are and awaken something within you. They recognise a kindred spirit and the time you spend with them, no matter how brief, never really leaves you.

Of An Age opens on a teenage girl named Ebony (Hattie Hook) who has woken up alone and hungover on a beach, waves lapping at her face as she comes to. She staggers to a payphone (it is 1999 so smartphones are yet to be a thing) and manages to reach her ballroom dance partner Kol (Elias Anton). They are due at a dance competition soon and Ebony needs Kol’s help to reach her brother Adam (Thom Green) so that he can come and pick her up as he is the only person she knows who both has a car and would be willing to rescue her from her drunken escapades.

What follows is a road trip for Kol and Adam as they go to retrieve Ebony. It soon becomes clear that there is spark between them even though Adam is several years older than Kol. Adam teases Kol about his age and the books that he has read but it is gentle and probing. There is a tentative interest and when Adam reveals his sexuality, it ignites something in Kol. Something that he is afraid to fully acknowledge.

Shot by Matthew Chuang, who also worked with Stolevski on his debut feature You Won’t Be Alone, Of An Age makes use of a lot of handheld shots, close ups and natural lighting. It also uses an aspect ratio of 4:3. All of these technical aspects give Of An Age a very raw and intimate feeling which makes the story feel all the more realistic and relatable. The audience feels intimately involved in the characters’ lives in a way that is almost voyeuristic. The performances by Anton and Green also enhance this feeling of naturalness.

In spite of all the great things that the film is doing, there remains a feeling of being somewhat removed from the story that is being told. Whilst both Kol and Adam feel like real people and the premise alone is an intriguing one, the film never digs further beneath the surface to give the audience something to really grasp on to. We care about the characters because it would be cruel not to, but do we really know them? Do we ever really see their passion and love for each other? That is debatable. Of An Age gives the audience all the technical components and performances to create closeness but struggles in making this closeness feel emotionally resonant. In this way the poignancy of telling the story of awakened sexuality through an unforgettable connection is slightly lost.