For the past a few decades, we've seen a lot of positive change in terms of LGBT rights in some part of the world (mostly the Western societies). For lucky some, it is now not an issue at all to be a gay and live as one. But not everybody's that lucky. If your background or social standing does not support it, it still is a struggle to face one's sexuality and the pain is somewhat felt even sharper due to the relative deprivation to those who fly their rainbow flag openly.

Len is from an unprivileged background, where being a traditional man is still the norm. He lives alone with his ill (and homophobic) dad and works at a landfill. His one straw that keeps his head high and proud is being a long standing champion from surf-lifesaving competition, a symbol of his aggressive masculinity. Then comes a newcomer to the lifesaver's club; Meat is younger, handsome, smart, from a middle class background, and dares to live out his gay-self (though still closeted in the masculinity dominated club). Len is jealous of Meat for all what he isn't, and desires him at the same time. The tension between the conflicting emotions finally breaks when Meat beats him at the lifesaving competition and dethrones him from his single proud relic.

The whole film basically evolves around the intense psychology of Len - his deep rooted insecurity and aggression to hide it, his homosexual desire and self hatred for it. As much as he tries to go on top of the macho world he lives in, he becomes in the end his own victim, and this irony kills him. The film as a whole may occasionally fails to make every detail convincing, but delivers Len's emotional intensity effectively if not anything else.

I think it's a worthy addition to the list gay themed films from recent years for addressing the pain of people living in the marginal world. After all we still have professional footballer committing suicide under the pressure of the world around him forcing in the closet.

Australian films and TV series have always interested me. Such a far and isolated western society has brought us so many different point-of-view and awkward plots and directed novelties. From The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert (1994) to Lonesome (2022), from Mad Max (1979) to Romper Stomper (1992), there's always an unexpected editing or plot.

This movie is not at all to be put in this hall of fame. First, it took me like 29 minutes to understand what were flashbacks, what were fantasies, and even to be sure when I was really into the regular story. So if you're going to watch it, be aware that you'll need special attention to keep track. The editing is not good enough to show you where you're at. In addition to that, I kind of understood that the same scene is shown again with a different point of view near the end (I mean, I think so, not sure). Not everyone is as good as Gus Van Sant with Elephant (2003) doing that. It's almost ridiculous. Like an extremist art house terrorist movie directors competition, the one that make the audience the most lost, wins.

Not to spoil it, but to help, I'd just say that it's the story of one night. Everything else is flashbacks, or dreams, or fantasies (it took me a while to define this). And that night is cut with flashbacks of that same night !!! (Wow...). So let's redefine it again, it's the story of one end of the night.

Then I had to watch it in two parts. My mate made me shut it down at about the half of the movie, telling me, "that's again one of those movies made by straights about things they believe to know"- This happened at a useless disgusting scene with vomit, even given the fact that the actors were handsome. "He's a straight". I guess my friend meant that this actor whatever he's straight or not, didn't play well enough the forbidden attraction he's supposed to feel and to restrict towards his friends - this is not true in all the scenes, but a general feel. Meanwhile, he plays well a homophobic hater.

Plus, the sound editing is not good. Even equipped with a 5.1 home theater system, some dialogues were hard to decipher.

But all in all, I was interested to know what that closeted, self-hating and psychotic gay guy was going to become (or do), it kept me watching it until the end. So at least, the plot was somewhat not that bad. It should have been directed in a much better way, most of the time there aren't bad actors, but bad directing of them. I wouldn't watch this twice.

Shame to see a reasonable cast wasted by truly awful writing and directing. This film takes a lens to homophobia and completely pushes it into an over the top, melodramatic, badly edited, annoying mess.

The sad part is the cast seemed reasonably good at acting but could have done well with anything else, even the most simplistic story would have allowed them to shine. Less is definitely more in this case and it needed way less.

It really is a bad movie and an example of what happens when someone tries too hard and doesn't have anyone around them to say stop, this isn't working--it's unrealistic, exaggerated for effect and needs a rewrite. Awful ending too.