The Story:
Of an Age is a quiet and satisfying film about innocence, naivete, and the power of first love. The story takes place over two days, one in 1999 and the other in 2010. Kol (Elias Anton) is a Serbian immigrant living in Melbourne, Australia. He’s just shy of 18 and getting ready to attend university. When his best friend, Ebony (Hattie Hook), calls distraught and in need of a ride home, she begs him to have her older brother, Adam (Thom Green), drive out to get her.
Kol arranges for he and Adam to pick up Ebony and bring her back. On the drive, the two start talking and hit it off. What makes their conversation enjoyable is the subtle way that Adam flirts with Kol, who seems slightly oblivious. While in the car, Kol and Adam talk around each other and speak in a way the other understands. Their conversation is filled with half-truths and a shared sense of humor. The dialogue is simple, and yet draws you in and enchants. I could not get enough of these two men simply interacting with each other. By the time they reach Ebony, Kol discovers that Adam is gay and becomes uncomfortable.
They pick up Ebony, and the two have to re-build their rapport with each other. Adam uses Ebony as a common point of interest, and it works. By the time they arrive at Ebony and Adam’s home, the two are talking freely again.
Kol is invited inside, where he and Adam have an uncomfortable moment because Kol is clearly questioning his sexuality. Kol goes home, a bit shaken by Adam and left to grapple with his desires on his own. It isn’t until Ebony calls Kol later that evening and convinces him to join her at a party that Adam and Kol meet up again. Kol leaves the party and Adam finds him and asks if he needs a ride home. This time Kol opens up more truthfully about who he is and exposes himself to Adam, who doesn’t judge him. They drive to a remote area that overlooks the city and have an intimate, sexual encounter. And from there Kol’s first love is formed, and with it all the blind innocence of youth.
Adam then brings Kol home, and the reality that Adam has to go back to Argentina to get his Ph.D. hits them. It’s an emotional moment for Adam and Kol that rings true, although some might find it overdone.
Adam and Kol meet up again in 2010, this time for Ebony’s wedding. I won’t go into the rest of the film, but I found the ending to have a wonderful mixture of sweet and sad.
Anton plays the Serbian immigrant living in Australia with precision and depth. His outsider status is evident with every move he makes. Green pairs well with Anton, playing the slightly older and experienced Adam with a self-assurance that comes from having lived. Of an Age hinges on Kol and Adam, and both Anton and Green play them so convincingly that their performances give the film the sense of intimacy it needs.
Cinematographer Matthew Chuang does a great job with both interior and exterior shots, giving them a cohesive and emotive look. He also understands the use of open space and the fine line between romantic and erotic. He even finds beauty and purpose with the visual of a wall with two closed doors.
Final Thoughts:
Director Goran Stolevski delivers a film that is light on story and heavy on feeling. The acting overall is good, but it’s Elias Anton and Thom Green who make Of an Age shine. It may not be the most realistic of stories, but it’s beautifully told and well thought out. I was enchanted.