Film Review: OF AN AGE (2022): Goran Stolevski’s Film is a Moving but Slight Exploration of a Powerful Love Connection

Of an Age Review

Of an Age (2022) Film Review, a movie written and directed by Goran Stolevski and starring Thom Green, Elias Anton, Hattie Hook, Toby Derrick, Grace Graznak, Matthew Page, Jessica Lu, Kasuni Imbulana, Jack Kenny, Sam Perry, Milijana Cancar and Verity Higgins.

Goran Stolevski’s new film, Of an Age, is a powerful portrait of love and the need for intimate human connections in life. Played out in two parts, the movie’s story is captivating even if there is a bit of a lack of substance in terms of the movie’s basic story line. However, the performances are all top notch with some very strong emotional scenes showcased throughout the picture, ultimately making the movie worth seeing.

This film focuses on a young man named Kol (Elias Anton) who is a teenager and a novice ballroom dancer. As the movie’s story begins in 1999, Kol is enlisted by his best friend, Ebony (Hattie Hook), to pick her up and take her to a final dance. This was the time before everybody had cell phones and Ebony has to borrow money from people passing by to make the call to Kol to come and get her. Kol grabs a phone book to try to see where Ebony is so he can get to her and help her out. It seems Ebony had a rough time and needs her friend, Kol, to bail her out of trouble. It doesn’t seem possible to make that dance-off, though.

When Kol meets Adam (Thom Green), things get a little complicated. Adam is Ebony’s older brother, and he is earnest and trustworthy. Adam and Kol get to talking when they head out to locate Ebony and get her back home safely. They seem to not have too much in common at first, but they enjoy each other’s company on their brief road trip. It turns out Kol doesn’t enjoy living with his uncle and Adam is soon leaving town in the hopes of bigger and better things. They pick up Ebony and she becomes infuriated at one point, getting out of the car in distress, but Kol is there for her, as always.

Kol and Adam soon reunite at a party which Ebony invites them to come to. Adam and Kol engage in some thoughtful interactions which do lead to intimacy between them. However, they part ways despite some powerful emotions that are felt between them. It’s hard for them to let go but they do with great difficulty.

We skip to 2010 and Ebony is getting married to Jacob (Toby Derrick). Kol decides to attend the wedding and when he sees Adam, the feeling is just as powerful between them as ever except that Adam is now married, himself. How will the plot unfold? Rather surprisingly.

There are a number of intimately effective sequences between the characters of Adam and Kol. One of them has the two men discussing Tori Amos music as it plays in the background. There is plenty of steamy romance here within the main sex scene featured in the picture as well as in the overall chemistry between the two main characters. You can feel the passion these characters have for one another throughout.

A fantastic scene has Ebony and Kol dancing together in a scene in the 2010 portion of the film at her wedding. Ebony and Kol successfully rekindle the bond between them which seems almost just as strong as it used to be. Anton is tremendously on-point as Kol as the actor masterfully captures the confusion and deep emotions of his character both in the 1999 scenes and the 2010 sequences. Hattie Hook is alluring and effective as the struggling artist, Ebony, who is hilariously compared to Gwyneth Paltrow at one point to try to give her confidence in her chosen path in life. Ebony doesn’t get accepted to the school of her choice which leaves her heartbroken but at least there’s Kol’s shoulder to cry on.

Thom Green is a revelation as Adam. This is one of the best performances of the year so far and although it may go overlooked due to the small and intimate nature of the film, Green’s nuanced work is amazingly effective. It’s hard not to feel for Adam as he seems to re-evaluate his life choices in the latter scenes of the movie. We never know if Adam regrets moving forward in his life, but we sense he does through Adam’s mannerisms.

In the closing scene of the movie, we get some closure that may be temporary but nevertheless sheds significant light on the power of the relationship that is at the center of the film. In terms of the supporting performances, they are all very good with Milijana Cancar as Kol’s mother a definite standout. Cancar brings a significant amount of plausibility to her character here.

Filmmaker Stolevski is to be credited for accurately displaying the time periods the filmmaker chooses to set his story in. Stolevski directed the visually stunning You Won’t Be Alone just last year. Of an Age is a complete 180 degree turn from that project. While the new film’s plot is a bit thin, the emotions found within the main characters’ connection are very complex and it will be hard to walk away from this picture without being moved by their powerful bond. Of an Age is a solid film.

Rating: 7.5/10

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