OF AN AGE - A Review by Jenn Rohm

OF AN AGE – A Review by Jenn Rohm

Remember back to the moment of a first crush and the possibility of more, discovering who you are becoming, ahh to be a few days away from turning 19 again. Goran Stolevski wrote and directed Of an Age, which is a beautiful love story and it has brought those memories back to me.

This is a tale of first love showing the highs and lows of life and how a chance encounter can shape who we become. The majority of this movie is of Kol, Elias Anton, discovering himself and his first relationship with Adam (Thom Green) which lasts the span of about 24 hours in 1999. This is told as Chapter 1. In Chapter 2 we are at the Melbourne Airport in 2010 where Kol and Adam see each other for their first connection in 11 years. We follow along for their next 24 hours.

My only complaint was the ability to understand all the lines being delivered. I am not sure if it was how the sound was done or if it was how the lines were being delivered. I do realize the film is in English, however, subtitles would have helped. Post movie, I was speaking with other viewers about the very start of the movie and determining who was making a call to whom and where from. (Other details later in the movie did help clear it up… but that was later and, not everyone caught them.) Another example is a moment at the end of Chapter 1 where we were trying to determine if Kol said Ph.D. or PTSD in asking how long it takes to complete. Adam is heading out of the country to complete his Ph.D., while after this line Kol refers to the Uncle that he and his family live with whom is not kind. It could have been either.

This is considered a foreign film with all shooting taking place in Melbourne Australia. It does not follow the US standards of making everything pretty. In the US even messy hair is styled to be messy. In Chapter 1, Kol is a pimply gangly teenager and yes, I wanted them to have removed the acne. Yet thinking back on it, that was part of how you remembered he was a teenager ad not comfortable in his own skin. In Chapter 1 there are a few scenes where close-ups of Kol show a piece of glitter on his face. Knowing that he was wearing a ballroom dance competition costume and had picked up his partner’s dress and heels that were both glittered, made it realistic. (Glitter is the sparkle that never dies. If you know you know.)

Pieces of this film and memories of the past are going to hang around in my head for a few days and honestly, I am ok with that.

Cast: Thom Green, Elias Anton, Hattie Hook

Director and Writer: Goran Stolevski

MPAA Rating: R (language throughout, sexual content and some drug use)

Genres: Drama, Romance

Selig Rating: 4.5 Stars

Runtime: 1 h 39 m

Release Date: February 10, 2023

Trailer: Of an Age Official Trailer

The Selig Rating Scale:

5 Stars – Excellent movie/show, well worth the time and price.

4 Stars – Good movie/show