Rating: PG13
Genres:
Drama
Romance
Theatrical Release: 08/25/1988(USA)
Release Date: 02/15/2000
Dubbed: English
Sound: 2
Run Time: 103 min
Flags: Adult Situations, Strong Sexual Content, Not For Children, Profanity
Distributor/Studio: Geneon
The life of a teen in an isolated small town is the subject of Australian writer/director
John Duigan's film, set in 1962 in New South Wales.
Duigan's
coming-of-age story has many familiar elements --
Danny Embling (
Noah Taylor) discovers his sexual attraction to a childhood playmate (
Leone Carmen as
Freya), he undergoes the taunts of bullies at his school, rages against the narrow-minded views of his parents and many of the townspeople, and comes under the influence of a sympathetic adult (
Bruce Spence as
Jonah, a would-be writer who lives in an abandoned railroad car). The twist is that
Danny's rival for
Freya's affections,
Trevor (
Ben Mendelsohn), is a Jewish jock who becomes
Danny's friend by standing up to the bullies and treating
Freya with more respect than the other boys do.
Duigan, who had been making films in Australia since the mid-'70s, broke through to U.S. audiences with this film and its sequel,
Flirting, in which
Noah Taylor reprises the lead role.
~ Tom Wiener, All Movie Guide