The irreverent Australian teen who survived the first advance of puberty in 'The Year My Voice Broke' finds himself enrolled in a strict, boys-only boarding school and attracted to a demure young girl (played by newcomer Thandie Newton, in a remarkably natural performance) from the equally cloistered girl's academy across the river. He fact that she's a refugee from Uganda isn't an issue (except to indicate how each is an outsider in their respective schools), and their refreshingly colorblind romance lifts the film above the average horny teenage mating ritual. Writer director John Duigan identifies every bane of post adolescent life (braces, pimples, raging hormones), but beyond that captures all the tyranny of petty academic oppression and the terrible yearning of sexual awakening, depicted for once without any bogus slow motion ecstasy or crass innuendo. With so many grace notes it seems mean to point out the usual irritating prop of unnecessary voice-over narration, and the unrealistic optimism of the resolution: teen romance rarely ends happily-ever-after, even in rose-colored memories.
47 Reviews
An Australian Wonder Years
David19829 March 2004
Those who've watched The Wonder Years will recognise the style of storytelling here. The main character is also the narrator, there's an ongoing reference to world events, there are adolescents growing into maturity, and there are some wonderfully rounded and recognisable individuals.
Both main characters experience discrimination, including in Thandie Newton's case, racial discrimination both overt and implied - e.g. an Australian lad says to her "Your English is very good", to which she responds "So is yours"!
On the surface it's just a coming-of-age school story, but the film continually rises above this to greater heights of poignancy and subtlety.
Nicole Kidman is brilliant in the difficult role of the head of school who apparently has it all until, in one of the most moving moments of the film, her true self is revealed.
Both main characters experience discrimination, including in Thandie Newton's case, racial discrimination both overt and implied - e.g. an Australian lad says to her "Your English is very good", to which she responds "So is yours"!
On the surface it's just a coming-of-age school story, but the film continually rises above this to greater heights of poignancy and subtlety.
Nicole Kidman is brilliant in the difficult role of the head of school who apparently has it all until, in one of the most moving moments of the film, her true self is revealed.
Superior coming of age from down under
DennisLittrell2 December 1999
(Note: Over 500 of my movie reviews are now available in my book "Cut to the Chaise Lounge or I Can't Believe I Swallowed the Remote!" Get it at Amazon.)
Don't let the title fool you. Although this is one of the sweetest movies you'll ever see, it is no beach blanket bingo for bimbos. This is an Aussie story of teen love set in 1965, heroic as only teens can play it. It is fun to watch, authentic and original at the same time, a coming of age flick in the English boarding school tradition of "Dead Poet's Society" (1989) and "A Separate Peace" (the novel, not the so-so movie). Noah Taylor stars as Danny Embling, an outsider who reads Sartre and Camus while satirizing the school's empty traditions. Across the lake is the girl's school where Thandiwe Adjewa (Thandie Newton), daughter of the Ugandan ambassador, is learning to meld with the Aussie pale faces, including a gifted pre-Hollywood Nicole Kidman.
Thandie Newton and Noah Taylor, as beautifully directed by John Duigan, are the reasons this film is so good. She has a fearless integrity about her that overcomes the prejudices of her school mates. He is wise and brave at a hundred and twenty pounds. She too is ultra sophisticated. She even met Sartre. This is a story about the love between two outsiders who, with their strength of character win over not only their classmates, but the audience as well. Imagine teenagers as witty and poised as say Eartha Kitt and Gore Vidal, and you get a hint of how it's played.
Nicole Kidman as the snobby Nicola Radcliffe (the name says it all) manages a subtle supporting role with a diamond-in-the-rough kind of charm and just the right touch of on-screen growth. The scene where she shares her stash of vodka (or perhaps a clear fruit liquor) with Thandiwe Adjewa is beautifully turned by Director John Duigan. Also excellent is the hotel scene where the adults are revealed as intrusive in the extreme. I like Danny Embling's line as he deadpans to a re-robing Thandiwe, "They're all funny, aren't they?" Yes, those adults are a little peculiar.
This is not unflawed, however. The ending, despite the rousing music, seemed a bland washout, leaving us with a sense of disappointment. And I thought the first love scene with the two "touching" was a little unreal. I mean he might have kissed her! There's a limit to how great a coming of age, boarding school movie can be, especially when the adults have only scarecrow parts. Nonetheless "Flirting" is a confectioner's delight, and one of the best coming of age movies I've ever seen.
Don't let the title fool you. Although this is one of the sweetest movies you'll ever see, it is no beach blanket bingo for bimbos. This is an Aussie story of teen love set in 1965, heroic as only teens can play it. It is fun to watch, authentic and original at the same time, a coming of age flick in the English boarding school tradition of "Dead Poet's Society" (1989) and "A Separate Peace" (the novel, not the so-so movie). Noah Taylor stars as Danny Embling, an outsider who reads Sartre and Camus while satirizing the school's empty traditions. Across the lake is the girl's school where Thandiwe Adjewa (Thandie Newton), daughter of the Ugandan ambassador, is learning to meld with the Aussie pale faces, including a gifted pre-Hollywood Nicole Kidman.
Thandie Newton and Noah Taylor, as beautifully directed by John Duigan, are the reasons this film is so good. She has a fearless integrity about her that overcomes the prejudices of her school mates. He is wise and brave at a hundred and twenty pounds. She too is ultra sophisticated. She even met Sartre. This is a story about the love between two outsiders who, with their strength of character win over not only their classmates, but the audience as well. Imagine teenagers as witty and poised as say Eartha Kitt and Gore Vidal, and you get a hint of how it's played.
Nicole Kidman as the snobby Nicola Radcliffe (the name says it all) manages a subtle supporting role with a diamond-in-the-rough kind of charm and just the right touch of on-screen growth. The scene where she shares her stash of vodka (or perhaps a clear fruit liquor) with Thandiwe Adjewa is beautifully turned by Director John Duigan. Also excellent is the hotel scene where the adults are revealed as intrusive in the extreme. I like Danny Embling's line as he deadpans to a re-robing Thandiwe, "They're all funny, aren't they?" Yes, those adults are a little peculiar.
This is not unflawed, however. The ending, despite the rousing music, seemed a bland washout, leaving us with a sense of disappointment. And I thought the first love scene with the two "touching" was a little unreal. I mean he might have kissed her! There's a limit to how great a coming of age, boarding school movie can be, especially when the adults have only scarecrow parts. Nonetheless "Flirting" is a confectioner's delight, and one of the best coming of age movies I've ever seen.
A Must-see Hidden Jewel!
jparke105 June 2005
This is Nicole Kidman's first major film role, and she is remarkable. The way she develops her character really has you going. I won't say more except that you'll love her. Taylor and Newton do a fantastic job in their coming-of-age roles. Newton is absolutely beautiful -- I fell in love.
The screenplay has excellent depth and is uproariously funny in parts, enraging, tender and even tear-jerking. It even has an underlying theme with incisive international political insights into events in Africa during the Sixties. Agree with the politics or not, it has a lot to say -- really a thinking man's film.
Some guys may dismiss it as a chick flick, but if so, it's one of the best I've seen. What may surprise many is that it even has one of the best boxing scenes I have witnessed on celluloid. Yes, the story is Kafkaesque in a way, but it is also terribly sweet. Taylor's lead role (Danny) is one of the most original I've seen on film -- the school nerd who is really a poet with more character than the rest of the school combined (including the staff). The entire film is his recollection of events, much of it narrated by him as though he'd written the screenplay.
When I saw it a couple of years ago, I wondered where it had been all my life. This is a must- see hidden jewel like Denzel Washington's "Mississippi Masala." It may not be as hot as MM, but it comes damned close in parts.
The screenplay has excellent depth and is uproariously funny in parts, enraging, tender and even tear-jerking. It even has an underlying theme with incisive international political insights into events in Africa during the Sixties. Agree with the politics or not, it has a lot to say -- really a thinking man's film.
Some guys may dismiss it as a chick flick, but if so, it's one of the best I've seen. What may surprise many is that it even has one of the best boxing scenes I have witnessed on celluloid. Yes, the story is Kafkaesque in a way, but it is also terribly sweet. Taylor's lead role (Danny) is one of the most original I've seen on film -- the school nerd who is really a poet with more character than the rest of the school combined (including the staff). The entire film is his recollection of events, much of it narrated by him as though he'd written the screenplay.
When I saw it a couple of years ago, I wondered where it had been all my life. This is a must- see hidden jewel like Denzel Washington's "Mississippi Masala." It may not be as hot as MM, but it comes damned close in parts.
Affection Against a Backdrop of Racial Prejudice
Uriah4319 November 2018
This film takes place in rural Australia in 1965 at an all-male boarding school with a young man named "Danny Embling" (Noah Taylor) recounting what his life was like during this time. As it so happens, while watching a rugby game with his good friend "Gilby Fryer" (Bartholomew Rose) Danny just happens to meet an attractive African girl named "Thandiwe Adjewa" (Thandie Newton) who attends the all-female boarding school across the lake. Although their conversation doesn't last for more than a minute or two both of them feel a certain chemistry toward each other which results in further meetings--some sanctioned and others in clear violation of school policies. But as their affections for one another increase so too does the risk with each secret rendezvous. Now rather than reveal any more I will just say that this was a good "coming of age" film which successfully dealt with the emotional attachments of two people for one another against a backdrop of racial prejudice. That being said, although I liked the performances of both Noah Taylor and Thandie Newton, I must admit that I thought the ending could have used a bit of improvement. Even so, I enjoyed this film for the most part and have rated it accordingly. Slightly above average.
THE best coming of age film.
mdlx20 July 2003
I absolutely loved this film. This is the best of all the adolescent/coming of age/high school genre films. Set in the mid 1960's Australia at an all boys school (St.Albans....across the river from the all girls school). Our protagonist is a sympathic yet strong/intelligent character. He is constantly picked on by his peers (mild stuttering, intellectual, a bit different), but he takes everything in stride with the viewpoint that he's "offering them a service", "people need to put down others to feel better about themselves" (great line and greatly written throughout.). His eventual love is a new student at the girls school, she is from Uganda (British educated) and is different enough to be a target of ridicule from her peers. They both find each other despite the prison camp like conditions of their respective schools. The story is great, the writing is poetic, and the acting is superb. I can't believe I didn't hear of it when released. I found it in a local Library video department. The only thing I didn't like about the film is the title....."Flirting" just doesn't do this film justice. I came away from this film with a great appreciation for the writing and directing of John Duigan... though I haven't come across anything from him recently as good. Noah Taylor is an amazing actor... I would like to see more of this actor... in better films. I also thought the whole cast in Flirting were perfect.
Love me tender
=G=22 June 2003
"Flirting" is a lukewarm sequel and another chapter in the life of writer/director Duigan's character Danny Embling (Taylor) who falls in love with a beautiful African girl (Newton), both residents of his and hers Aussie boarding schools. A coming of age flick, this restrained and pleasant love story treads softly and with tenderness, ignoring its potential for sexationalism, as it focuses on the young racially mixed couple in and among just so much period and boarding school filler. Okay stuff for anyone in the mood for a flick about young love in bloom. (B-)
Truly Romantic
psychocharlie1321 August 2002
The only reason I even watched this movie (at first) is because there was nothing else on tv, and I saw from the commercial that Nicole Kidman was in it. I'd seen Noah Taylor in the Tomb Raider movie and loved his dorky, scatterbrained performance. So I sat down and watched it. I was amazed. This movie is GREAT for a romantic person. The difficulty of the situation in Africa, combined with sad romance, repression, and brutality was enough to make me feel the emptiness that comes with the longing for true love that every girl and boy feels at one point or another. I rented the movie on video, and was surprised to find that very little was cut out; just a few slightly racier moments, and a foul word or two, plus one scene at the end was double-shot to have Thandie Newton in a bra and panties rather than naked. Rent it and watch if you're a longing romantic, or if you want to be one. Ah, love is such exquisite pain.
Well made coming of age story
rosscinema7 January 2003
I know this is a sequel but I never saw the first film but I am familiar with the actors. Noah Taylor from "Shine" and Thandie Newton from "MI2" and of course Nicole Kidman and Naomi Watts. Newton is wonderful in a strong but understated performance. Her character is very complex as we watch her try and fit in but the school system always does its job of reminding her of where she comes from and who she is. Taylor is a good actor and does a good job of blending both his awkwardness and real heart at the same time. The romance between the two comes off unexpectedly well and you can't help but root for the two in a strict environment. On a trivial note, both Newton and Kidman would end up in films with Tom Cruise. I wonder how far off Naomi Watts is from being in one? Film is typical coming of age story but the unique angle is Newton's character as the daughter of an important African statesman and the result that we find out at the end of the film. Film is very nicely handled on every level.
Another unseen gem
aurora716 June 2006
Warning: Spoilers
This has got to be by far one of the most touching, intelligent, sensitive and emotionally mature and rewarding films out there on first love. What is also truly impressive is that it deals with this topic while also touching on inter-racial love, racism, African colonialism, and Jean-Paul Sarte without ever once becoming condescending or maudlin. It is a film that not only respects the feelings of the two fully-inhabited main character but by doing so, makes the viewer all the more involved in their world and feelings for each other. The director and the script both assume that the viewer is intelligent and the viewer is accordingly rewarded.
Noah Taylor and Thandie Newton are truly exceptional and highly intelligent actors and watching both their bodies of work like "Shine", "Max", "Beseiged" and "Crash has truly been a pleasure. I do hope the best is yet to come from these fine actors and I'm sure their futures are bright.
Much has been made of Nicole Kidman in this film but really she's only a secondary character as well as the young Naomi Watts. I wish Hollywood would stop looking at this film as a Nicole Kidman vehicle when truly Taylor and Newton deserve the attention for this early work.
This movie is also beautifully shot, especially the scenes when Danny rows his boat over the river by moonlight or watching the two of them skim rocks over the water surface or Danny at the end, reading Thandie's letter on the windy rocks and the sky suddenly clearing up on him. At the very end Danny come to the very mature realization on the transcendent nature of true love, something which I don't think he understood in "The Year My Voice Broke".
I actually went out and got this film on DVD and never tire of watching it from time to time, a sign of great film. It really reminds you of what it was once like when those first feelings of romantic love started to appear in your life, all the promise, the novelty and the authenticity as well as the insecurities. So it's not really just a "teen" movie, I think just about anyone who has had these experiences can appreciate this gem of a film.
Do yourself a favour and try finding a copy, you won't regret it.
Noah Taylor and Thandie Newton are truly exceptional and highly intelligent actors and watching both their bodies of work like "Shine", "Max", "Beseiged" and "Crash has truly been a pleasure. I do hope the best is yet to come from these fine actors and I'm sure their futures are bright.
Much has been made of Nicole Kidman in this film but really she's only a secondary character as well as the young Naomi Watts. I wish Hollywood would stop looking at this film as a Nicole Kidman vehicle when truly Taylor and Newton deserve the attention for this early work.
This movie is also beautifully shot, especially the scenes when Danny rows his boat over the river by moonlight or watching the two of them skim rocks over the water surface or Danny at the end, reading Thandie's letter on the windy rocks and the sky suddenly clearing up on him. At the very end Danny come to the very mature realization on the transcendent nature of true love, something which I don't think he understood in "The Year My Voice Broke".
I actually went out and got this film on DVD and never tire of watching it from time to time, a sign of great film. It really reminds you of what it was once like when those first feelings of romantic love started to appear in your life, all the promise, the novelty and the authenticity as well as the insecurities. So it's not really just a "teen" movie, I think just about anyone who has had these experiences can appreciate this gem of a film.
Do yourself a favour and try finding a copy, you won't regret it.
A nice coming of age movie
philip_vanderveken15 July 2005
I've seen Nicole Kidman play in all kinds of movies and although those movies weren't all successes, they all had one thing in common: Kidman's performance was at least good, if not excellent. That's also the main reason why I gave this movie a try. I had never heard of it before, let alone that I knew that this was a sequel (from the movie "The Year My Voice Broke", which I never heard of before either and, when I see the number of voters on this movie until now, with me a lot of people). I didn't really expect to like it all that much, but I must admit that it was a lot better than I first thought.
In the 1960's Danny has been sent to a boarding school, where he becomes the target of bullies and sadistic teachers. But here he also meets Thandiwe. She's an African girl who studies at a nearby girls school and who isn't fully accepted by her fellow students either. Pretty soon they start an affair which everybody tries to destroy, but the harder the others try to get them apart, the closer they grow together...
I've seen several coming of age movies lately, but this is sure one of the better in its kind. It reminded me a bit of "A Bronx Tale", probably because both stories are about a white boy and a black girl who start a relationship and aren't understood by their friends. The fact that I recognize some similarities with other movies, proves of course that this isn't the most original movie ever, but that didn't really bother me.
The acting by all actors, so not alone by the young Nicole Kidman is good and the story is nice. Overall this is a nice movie that offers enough of good things like humor, drama, good acting and a nice story, to keep you interested until the end. I give it a 7/10.
In the 1960's Danny has been sent to a boarding school, where he becomes the target of bullies and sadistic teachers. But here he also meets Thandiwe. She's an African girl who studies at a nearby girls school and who isn't fully accepted by her fellow students either. Pretty soon they start an affair which everybody tries to destroy, but the harder the others try to get them apart, the closer they grow together...
I've seen several coming of age movies lately, but this is sure one of the better in its kind. It reminded me a bit of "A Bronx Tale", probably because both stories are about a white boy and a black girl who start a relationship and aren't understood by their friends. The fact that I recognize some similarities with other movies, proves of course that this isn't the most original movie ever, but that didn't really bother me.
The acting by all actors, so not alone by the young Nicole Kidman is good and the story is nice. Overall this is a nice movie that offers enough of good things like humor, drama, good acting and a nice story, to keep you interested until the end. I give it a 7/10.
A very good movie. Intellectually stimulating.
jugrin10 June 2002
I enjoyed this movie. I particularly liked the way they referred to Camus and Sartre in such offhand ways. I think this is the type of move that you must see again and again to get the full impact. I plan to see it a few more times to soak in all the nuances of the plot and character formation.
Everybody is so ugly
SnoopyStyle30 January 2016
It's 1965 rural Australia. Danny Embling (Noah Taylor) is a student in an all-male boarding school. His stuttering and his looks leave him the target of bullying along with the abusive teachers. The other kids call him "Bird" as a taunt. In the neighbor all-girls school, Nicola Radcliffe (Nicole Kidman) is the lead girl. Thandiwe Adjewa (Thandie Newton) is the new girl and she's bullied for being black.
All the characters are so ugly in this movie. It really puts me in the wrong mood for a comedy. It doesn't feel right as a drama either. I don't like the lead characters. Danny has a smugness about being a victim of bullying. Thandiwe also has a cold superiority about her. Nicola is surprising the most intriguing character of them all. It's tough to laugh at any of this and hard to feel for any of the characters.
All the characters are so ugly in this movie. It really puts me in the wrong mood for a comedy. It doesn't feel right as a drama either. I don't like the lead characters. Danny has a smugness about being a victim of bullying. Thandiwe also has a cold superiority about her. Nicola is surprising the most intriguing character of them all. It's tough to laugh at any of this and hard to feel for any of the characters.
Fair Dinkum
rmax30482314 February 2003
Warning: Spoilers
SPOILERS. The TV guide summarized the plot something like: "Lonely Australian boy falls for Ugandan girl in sequel to, 'The Year My Voice Broke'". Sounds like a loser all the way. But there was nothing else on, and this DID have at least Nicole Kidman in it. Turned out to be surprisingly interesting. Not gripping, not shocking, not disturbing, not provocative, but engaging. The boy is a nerdish intellectual in a boarding school, teased by many of his classmates. The young girl is something of a rare bird too, there not being that many Ugandan boarding school girls in 1965's Australia I suppose. The two marginal people meet and are attracted to one another in an adolescent way. One thing leads to another, the duo are caught by authorities in flagrante delicto, she returns to Uganda where her father has crossed both paths and swords with President for Life Idi Amin. The nerd is expelled and goes home. She writes him regularly but then, as Ugandan political troubles crest, the letters stop. After a long period he receives another from her, telling him everything is straightened out and she would like them to be together. Fade out on his voiceover.
It does sound dull, but it's well done compared to its categorical peers. The acting is quite good on everyone's part. There is a sense of place and time, a feeling for the creaky faux-British boarding school and its faculty with their varying tempers. It captures well the awkwardness of adolescents at formal dances, and the eagerness as well. There is some frank talk about sex, including a brief but amusing exchange between the two lovers when they are embracing in a dark place and he cracks a -- what's the Aussie slang for that, again? The looks of the performers are about right too. He's a short ectomorph with oddball features, while she is sensitive looking and attractive, although not on the ethereal plane achieved by internationally famous African models. She's not drop-dead gorgeous, she's just pleasant to see, from some angles a bit like Cynda Williams, rather like a girl in a boarding school. By the end of the film, after their affair has evolved in its complicated way in this particular social world, we've gotten to know them and we like them.
We admire their classmates too. And this is where this coming-of-age movie differs from the typical Hollywood fare. Most American movies about adolescents -- and there seem to have been thousands of them in the last decade or so -- are overdrawn in every way. In its American equivalent, the two lovers would look different: he would have the face and the teeth of that nerdy emoticon on Yahoo! She would look like Halli Berrie or Molly Ringwald. And both of these kids would be 30 year-old actors. The sex would be graphic instead of delicate. Instead of a funny scene involving a glimpse of the girls in their whalebone undergarments, the heroine would be seen emerging from a pool in slow motion and opening her top, rather like Phoebe Cates. When the couple made love, instead of seeing the two side by side in the ever-dwindling onscreen image of a bed, she would jump his bones, rather like Kim Cattrall. There would be a terrific goofball, kind of like Sean Penn, providing easy guffaws. And the classmates and faculty would be clearly divided into good and evil. She's black so she'd be subject to all sorts of racial taunts, kind of like the girl in "The Craft." The racists would get their comeupance in the end, when they would be punished and made to suffer. The athletic student who gets into a ring with the nerd and beats him unconscious would look and consistently act brutal, and he would also be humbled and made to suffer.
This movie meets none of those tedious expectations. The kids all seem to be played by kids. Some of the guys are funnier than others but none is entirely on his own planet. (The laughs come from subtler sources.) The athlete who pounds the hero to a pulp is not a bad kid; he saves the hero's bacon towards the end, and not for selfish motives. The tall snooty beauty played by Kidman has been standoffish during most of the film but when she catches the Ugandan sneaking in after an illegally late tryst, instead of squealing on her she invites her into the parlor for a drink, during which she confesses her own variety of desire. When the nerd and the Ugandan split up for what appears to be the last time, neither of them weeps. And they don't fall into a hot feverish final embrace either. They shake hands and part quietly. When the nerd reads his letter at the close, we wind up really hoping that the gods will allow them to be brought together again.
Can you see what I'm getting at? This isn't a great movie. It's too quiet, it lacks the ambition, it deals with small problems. And yet it represents a monumental improvement over the crap that we've been subjected to since the 1980s. The dumb cliches are for the most part refreshingly absent. It's a story in which there are no artistic breakthroughs, no penetrating insights into human nature, no social critique, only a story that catches your interest and hangs on to it gently, the way these two kids might hold hands.
It does sound dull, but it's well done compared to its categorical peers. The acting is quite good on everyone's part. There is a sense of place and time, a feeling for the creaky faux-British boarding school and its faculty with their varying tempers. It captures well the awkwardness of adolescents at formal dances, and the eagerness as well. There is some frank talk about sex, including a brief but amusing exchange between the two lovers when they are embracing in a dark place and he cracks a -- what's the Aussie slang for that, again? The looks of the performers are about right too. He's a short ectomorph with oddball features, while she is sensitive looking and attractive, although not on the ethereal plane achieved by internationally famous African models. She's not drop-dead gorgeous, she's just pleasant to see, from some angles a bit like Cynda Williams, rather like a girl in a boarding school. By the end of the film, after their affair has evolved in its complicated way in this particular social world, we've gotten to know them and we like them.
We admire their classmates too. And this is where this coming-of-age movie differs from the typical Hollywood fare. Most American movies about adolescents -- and there seem to have been thousands of them in the last decade or so -- are overdrawn in every way. In its American equivalent, the two lovers would look different: he would have the face and the teeth of that nerdy emoticon on Yahoo! She would look like Halli Berrie or Molly Ringwald. And both of these kids would be 30 year-old actors. The sex would be graphic instead of delicate. Instead of a funny scene involving a glimpse of the girls in their whalebone undergarments, the heroine would be seen emerging from a pool in slow motion and opening her top, rather like Phoebe Cates. When the couple made love, instead of seeing the two side by side in the ever-dwindling onscreen image of a bed, she would jump his bones, rather like Kim Cattrall. There would be a terrific goofball, kind of like Sean Penn, providing easy guffaws. And the classmates and faculty would be clearly divided into good and evil. She's black so she'd be subject to all sorts of racial taunts, kind of like the girl in "The Craft." The racists would get their comeupance in the end, when they would be punished and made to suffer. The athletic student who gets into a ring with the nerd and beats him unconscious would look and consistently act brutal, and he would also be humbled and made to suffer.
This movie meets none of those tedious expectations. The kids all seem to be played by kids. Some of the guys are funnier than others but none is entirely on his own planet. (The laughs come from subtler sources.) The athlete who pounds the hero to a pulp is not a bad kid; he saves the hero's bacon towards the end, and not for selfish motives. The tall snooty beauty played by Kidman has been standoffish during most of the film but when she catches the Ugandan sneaking in after an illegally late tryst, instead of squealing on her she invites her into the parlor for a drink, during which she confesses her own variety of desire. When the nerd and the Ugandan split up for what appears to be the last time, neither of them weeps. And they don't fall into a hot feverish final embrace either. They shake hands and part quietly. When the nerd reads his letter at the close, we wind up really hoping that the gods will allow them to be brought together again.
Can you see what I'm getting at? This isn't a great movie. It's too quiet, it lacks the ambition, it deals with small problems. And yet it represents a monumental improvement over the crap that we've been subjected to since the 1980s. The dumb cliches are for the most part refreshingly absent. It's a story in which there are no artistic breakthroughs, no penetrating insights into human nature, no social critique, only a story that catches your interest and hangs on to it gently, the way these two kids might hold hands.
those were the days...
lee_eisenberg12 April 2006
Before Nicole Kidman became an international superstar, she starred in this Australian flick about a romance between a white Australian boy (Noah Taylor, who played David Helfgott as a teenager in "Shine") and an African girl (Thandie Newton, of "Crash" fame) in a boarding school in the mid-'60s. It sounds like something that could easily be a total cliché, but they do it quite well, developing the characters beyond what we anticipate.
The main stars of "Flirting" certainly show the talent that they would bring to their later roles. A very young Naomi Watts - several years before watching a killer video and getting carried around by a giant ape - also stars.
The main stars of "Flirting" certainly show the talent that they would bring to their later roles. A very young Naomi Watts - several years before watching a killer video and getting carried around by a giant ape - also stars.
Usually only known for Nicole Kidman, but so much more!
jakeprickett224 January 2005
This is a fantastic coming of age story. Noah Taylor as Danny Embling is brilliant. Thandie Newton and Nicole Kidman also do a wonderful job (Plus both are walking dreams) This movie definitely surpasses The Year My Voice Broke. It makes a giant leap in the quality of the picture and writing. Of course that's not to say that The Year My Voice Broke wasn't also very good, but this sequel adds much more to the tales that are coming of age stories. This movie not only follows up on how Danny Embling is doing, but it also shows a female perspective of growing up. The way Noah Taylor and Thandie Newton react to one another as their characters is exactly the way most of probably wish we could with our own first loves. They are without fear of each other.
Coming of Age Film - one of best ever made
julianxbishop1 March 2006
Intelligently written piece that combines sub-genres of Coming of Age and inter-racial films.
The plot is fairly straightforward and the message of the film is not deep. Nevertheless, it is an original film which is simply and cheaply made.
The first strength of the film lies in the exquisite performances from great cast of the then unknown actors, 3 of whom have gone on to great performances in many other films (Taylor, Newton and Kidman).
Secondly (assuming you are over 14 years old), the audience will have a strong feeling of resonation with the subject matter (growing up, alienation the school "norm", being allowed to behave differently etc). The fact that the film is by a British director about an Australian boarding school probably means that the film has a wider appeal to all anglo-saxon nations.
Finally, the humour is understated but engaging.
I loved this film on release. It has not lost any of its charm since, though you are slightly distracted by seeing well-known actors in their youth.
The plot is fairly straightforward and the message of the film is not deep. Nevertheless, it is an original film which is simply and cheaply made.
The first strength of the film lies in the exquisite performances from great cast of the then unknown actors, 3 of whom have gone on to great performances in many other films (Taylor, Newton and Kidman).
Secondly (assuming you are over 14 years old), the audience will have a strong feeling of resonation with the subject matter (growing up, alienation the school "norm", being allowed to behave differently etc). The fact that the film is by a British director about an Australian boarding school probably means that the film has a wider appeal to all anglo-saxon nations.
Finally, the humour is understated but engaging.
I loved this film on release. It has not lost any of its charm since, though you are slightly distracted by seeing well-known actors in their youth.
Thandie Newton is the standout star of this film
TimothyDNaegele18 February 2006
Despite fine performances by Nicole Kidman and Noah Taylor in particular, Thandie Newton is the standout star of this film. She is truly delightful; and anyone who has seen her since, and enjoyed her performances, ought to watch this movie because it demonstrates the range of her talents and how lovely she is.
When one sees the "innocence" of a "star-in-the-making" like her performance in "Flirting," one hopes that she will display the same wonderful qualities throughout her career, and not become "Hollywood-ized." Hopefully some modicum of her beautiful innocence will remain, always.
I have given this film a 9-star rating because of her!
When one sees the "innocence" of a "star-in-the-making" like her performance in "Flirting," one hopes that she will display the same wonderful qualities throughout her career, and not become "Hollywood-ized." Hopefully some modicum of her beautiful innocence will remain, always.
I have given this film a 9-star rating because of her!
A Caning for Love
tedg12 January 2006
Heavens be thanked for how Australians and New Zealanders have revived the acting element of film.
Everything in the country seems set up to produce performing artists, even talented writers that understand acting, where Brazil produces soccer players and the US lawyers.
Here you have three of our actresses in essentially their first roles. Thandie Newton already at the peak of her screen charm, and Nicole Kidman and buddy Naomi Watts. Set in Australia, written and directed by an Australian, using what I have come to think of as the simple end of an Australian character spectrum.
This is a simple "coming of age" story. So simple, you begin with some trepidation. How many of these does one have to slog through to find something new? Well, there's nothing new here, but it turns adult rather quickly toward the end and allows us to leave it without feeling cheap.
And isn't that part of the skill of these things, to allow us to visit the insecurities of youth (which we probably still have) and to do so safely and finally to recall the experience fondly (so we will tell our friends to see this movie).
Nicole and Naomi aren't any reason to see this. They're simply standard props and rather far from the skills they'd develop. No, it is just the simple arc of the thing. No particular folding (as in "Sirens"), no cheap titillation, just honest, innocent yearning in a hostile world. Hostile large and small.
Concerning the titillation, a key plot device revolves around our hero interceding to prevent a compromising photo from being taken. So, a negative fold, if you will, a deliberate statement of flatness. This is accentuated by frequent references to booknames that would be familiar to youngsters as "adult" (Sartre, Camus, Marx) and Sartre's appearance at the boxing match where our hero gets pummeled.
Ted's Evaluation -- 3 of 3: Worth watching.
Everything in the country seems set up to produce performing artists, even talented writers that understand acting, where Brazil produces soccer players and the US lawyers.
Here you have three of our actresses in essentially their first roles. Thandie Newton already at the peak of her screen charm, and Nicole Kidman and buddy Naomi Watts. Set in Australia, written and directed by an Australian, using what I have come to think of as the simple end of an Australian character spectrum.
This is a simple "coming of age" story. So simple, you begin with some trepidation. How many of these does one have to slog through to find something new? Well, there's nothing new here, but it turns adult rather quickly toward the end and allows us to leave it without feeling cheap.
And isn't that part of the skill of these things, to allow us to visit the insecurities of youth (which we probably still have) and to do so safely and finally to recall the experience fondly (so we will tell our friends to see this movie).
Nicole and Naomi aren't any reason to see this. They're simply standard props and rather far from the skills they'd develop. No, it is just the simple arc of the thing. No particular folding (as in "Sirens"), no cheap titillation, just honest, innocent yearning in a hostile world. Hostile large and small.
Concerning the titillation, a key plot device revolves around our hero interceding to prevent a compromising photo from being taken. So, a negative fold, if you will, a deliberate statement of flatness. This is accentuated by frequent references to booknames that would be familiar to youngsters as "adult" (Sartre, Camus, Marx) and Sartre's appearance at the boxing match where our hero gets pummeled.
Ted's Evaluation -- 3 of 3: Worth watching.
standout in degraded coming-of-age genre
phlbrq25 February 2002
This is my favorite coming of age movie. The principles, supporting cast and screenplay are all first rate. There is a credible depth of character that is extremely refreshing. The predictably mean characters are not just simple sadists. I highly recommend this film. It is a standout in a very crowded, degraded genre.
Touching
jumpman74328 July 2004
I'm 16 years old and I saw the film few days ago. I recorded it on tape and I watch it every day. I've seen a lot of movies but this is really special. I had a feeling that it's as real as I am. Maybe it's because of my age but I really "found myself" in the movie. The characters of Thandiwe and Danny are as real as they can be. Although it takes place in 1965 I think that I would feel and act the same. I would consider myself a very happy man if I could find the same love as Danny and Thandiwe did. I think I will spend the rest of my life imagining how would it be if Danny and Thandiwe ever meet again. I hope they do... "Suddenly there were much bigger worlds again and some small place in them for me."
"Do you mind if we just kiss and touch a bit..."
ejayanderson8 February 2001
I agree with the one guy who commented on this movie before me in that it is deep and thought provoking. Why does it seem like the US only produces superficial muck and that many of the interesting movies are foreign? What does that say about us Americans? Getting back to the movie, immediately you know that a movie with a plot interlaced with the teachings of Sartre cannot disappoint you. Flirting is about a young, interracial couple (African girl and white American boy) experiencing love despite the obstacles placed before them. They endure in spite of the restrictions placed on them at school and the political pressures she faces in her homeland. I enjoyed the film. Many of the characters are complex and it is interesting watching them go through the experiences of youth as they come to know love and themselves.
Much Better Than Expected
chron12 January 2004
When I read the plot line, my first reaction was "How many times can they do this plot!" This is the story of a young man and woman who become romantically interested in each other in a prep school in Australia. He is white and she is a black African. The female lead is played by Thandie Newton, of current "ER" and "MI:2" fame. Of course, this kind of movie must have the mean-spirited, cute girl. In this case, that was played by Nicole Kidman. I rented this movie as a curiosity to see these fine actresses (and Naomi Watts) in their pre-fame days.
I was pleasantly surprised at the flow and depth of this movie. The characters were quite 3-dimensional and avoided the obvious stereotypes. I was particularly satisfied with the character that Nicole Kidman played.
At first, I was a little put off by the attempts of these prep school kids to be philosophically "deep", but not coming close. Then it occurred to me that I was that way when I was their age 25 years ago.
In all a very fine coming-of-age movie. I recommend that you rent this for an enjoyable plot and wonderful characters.
I was pleasantly surprised at the flow and depth of this movie. The characters were quite 3-dimensional and avoided the obvious stereotypes. I was particularly satisfied with the character that Nicole Kidman played.
At first, I was a little put off by the attempts of these prep school kids to be philosophically "deep", but not coming close. Then it occurred to me that I was that way when I was their age 25 years ago.
In all a very fine coming-of-age movie. I recommend that you rent this for an enjoyable plot and wonderful characters.
A Young man finds love but loses it in a unkind school!
Stanbabe21 October 2003
In this quiet and simple story.
A difficult young student at a strict boy's boarding school in
1960's Australlia has trouble dealing with his abusive and unsympatic
headmaster and his patronizing instructor.
"Danny Embling"(played here with a quiet idea of tough rebellion
by Noah Taylor)hates being a student in this hideious place.
Until he meets a beautiful but tough young black girl named"Thahagwe"(played by Thannie Newton).Who becomes his friend and eventually his soul mate.
As they pair try to cope with the strict derigours of the Brittish school system and fall in love.Which bothers the classmates of the duo and which the cruel headmasters finally break up towards the end of the picture.
The atmosphere of the film is bleak and there is very little
interaction between the other actors and the two leads.Since they're
used for atmosphere and lend very little to the plot.
Despite these flaws..The rapport between Ms.Newton and Mr.Taylor make this film worth watching.
Also..Look for an appearance by Ms.Nichole Kidman(Then an unknown actress).Who plays a classmate of Ms.Newton's.
A difficult young student at a strict boy's boarding school in
1960's Australlia has trouble dealing with his abusive and unsympatic
headmaster and his patronizing instructor.
"Danny Embling"(played here with a quiet idea of tough rebellion
by Noah Taylor)hates being a student in this hideious place.
Until he meets a beautiful but tough young black girl named"Thahagwe"(played by Thannie Newton).Who becomes his friend and eventually his soul mate.
As they pair try to cope with the strict derigours of the Brittish school system and fall in love.Which bothers the classmates of the duo and which the cruel headmasters finally break up towards the end of the picture.
The atmosphere of the film is bleak and there is very little
interaction between the other actors and the two leads.Since they're
used for atmosphere and lend very little to the plot.
Despite these flaws..The rapport between Ms.Newton and Mr.Taylor make this film worth watching.
Also..Look for an appearance by Ms.Nichole Kidman(Then an unknown actress).Who plays a classmate of Ms.Newton's.
A Warm Account of Teenage Love
blakiepeterson2 May 2015
A lake separates the male and female dormitories of Australia's rural St. Albans boarding school, but water can hardly part the flirtatious musk hovering in the air between windows. It's 1965, and love, fear, sexual desire, and whole-hearted awkwardness is radiating from the bodies of the students. Headmasters stalk the hallways, looking for a passerby to whip; pangs are repressed in favor of mild-mannered behavior. But as the students age, their romances flicker into a sudden burst of unbridled flame. Sooner or later, they have to leave their childhood fears behind — upcoming is adulthood.
Flirting is a lyrical snapshot of the inelegant but lilting time in which innocence washes away and is replaced with uncomfortable, yet exciting, verisimilitude. It's a high school movie, but it can hardly be compared to the wispy transparency of its many clichéd rivals. It's not a one- note Weird Science pile or a sassy Mean Girls; it's more akin to The Breakfast Club, considering the thoughts and decisions of young adults and finding the beauty in their successes, in their flaws. Some teenagers are one-track-minded and beastly, but more are attentive. Flirting casts the immature rascals aside and puts a spotlight on the youths that contemplate the outcome of each and every decision. In that respect, the film is better because, for once, the youngsters once characterized by Anthony Michael Hall and Shirley Temple suddenly become introspective humans, not cartoons.
Danny Embling (Noah Taylor) is a gangly 17-year-old with a stutter to get over. His head is too big for his body, his body is too small for his head, and the words that come out of his mouth don't sound as sophisticated as he would like. But he is a rebel, knowing that real- life mistakes aren't followed by an authoritative whipping and that math doesn't really matter in the long run. He idolizes Satre not only for his work but also for his poise, and he longs to break free from St. Albans so he can fully realize his many potentials.
Thadiwe Adjewa (Thandie Newton), the exotic Ugandan-Kenyan-British daughter of a diplomat, has just arrived on the grounds, inadvertently inviting unwanted scrutiny from her female classmates. She is remarkably intelligent and effortlessly beautiful — perhaps she intimates the opposite sex, fuels the jealousy of her gawky roommates. When Danny and Thandiwe lock eyes at a rugby game one day, a spark ignites. His perceptive aura matches her cerebral wit — infatuation thrives. It doesn't take long before a mutual adoration erupts. They've never felt love like this before, and they're going to make it count for the few months they have together.
The majority of teen movies believe they have to be self-deprecatingly funny or overly simple to be successful, completely unaware that purity is ultimately more winning than materialistic quotability. Teenagers are fascinating creatures, phenomenons of emotion, but films tend to liken them as a target of satire. A shame. A movie like Flirting vibrates with poignancy; in the process, I connected with its sensitive characters and, eventually, built enough of a relationship with them to a point where I felt the need to compare their hesitations and choices to my very own life. Duigan watches them move and applies their burgeoning ideals to even the hardest of moments; scenes, like the closing one (in which Danny and Thandiwe spend their last night together in a local hotel in order to properly say goodbye), defy expectations through their mannered receptiveness.
A film like Flirting is easy to hold close to the heart because its conflicts have been felt by all. It's touching, it's romantic, it's witty — it ripples with pensive quiet. It doesn't just flirt with brilliance; it is brilliant, whether it knows it or not. (It also made stars out of Newton and Nicole Kidman, and kickstarted the careers of Taylor and Naomi Watts.)
Read more reviews at petersonreviews.com
Flirting is a lyrical snapshot of the inelegant but lilting time in which innocence washes away and is replaced with uncomfortable, yet exciting, verisimilitude. It's a high school movie, but it can hardly be compared to the wispy transparency of its many clichéd rivals. It's not a one- note Weird Science pile or a sassy Mean Girls; it's more akin to The Breakfast Club, considering the thoughts and decisions of young adults and finding the beauty in their successes, in their flaws. Some teenagers are one-track-minded and beastly, but more are attentive. Flirting casts the immature rascals aside and puts a spotlight on the youths that contemplate the outcome of each and every decision. In that respect, the film is better because, for once, the youngsters once characterized by Anthony Michael Hall and Shirley Temple suddenly become introspective humans, not cartoons.
Danny Embling (Noah Taylor) is a gangly 17-year-old with a stutter to get over. His head is too big for his body, his body is too small for his head, and the words that come out of his mouth don't sound as sophisticated as he would like. But he is a rebel, knowing that real- life mistakes aren't followed by an authoritative whipping and that math doesn't really matter in the long run. He idolizes Satre not only for his work but also for his poise, and he longs to break free from St. Albans so he can fully realize his many potentials.
Thadiwe Adjewa (Thandie Newton), the exotic Ugandan-Kenyan-British daughter of a diplomat, has just arrived on the grounds, inadvertently inviting unwanted scrutiny from her female classmates. She is remarkably intelligent and effortlessly beautiful — perhaps she intimates the opposite sex, fuels the jealousy of her gawky roommates. When Danny and Thandiwe lock eyes at a rugby game one day, a spark ignites. His perceptive aura matches her cerebral wit — infatuation thrives. It doesn't take long before a mutual adoration erupts. They've never felt love like this before, and they're going to make it count for the few months they have together.
The majority of teen movies believe they have to be self-deprecatingly funny or overly simple to be successful, completely unaware that purity is ultimately more winning than materialistic quotability. Teenagers are fascinating creatures, phenomenons of emotion, but films tend to liken them as a target of satire. A shame. A movie like Flirting vibrates with poignancy; in the process, I connected with its sensitive characters and, eventually, built enough of a relationship with them to a point where I felt the need to compare their hesitations and choices to my very own life. Duigan watches them move and applies their burgeoning ideals to even the hardest of moments; scenes, like the closing one (in which Danny and Thandiwe spend their last night together in a local hotel in order to properly say goodbye), defy expectations through their mannered receptiveness.
A film like Flirting is easy to hold close to the heart because its conflicts have been felt by all. It's touching, it's romantic, it's witty — it ripples with pensive quiet. It doesn't just flirt with brilliance; it is brilliant, whether it knows it or not. (It also made stars out of Newton and Nicole Kidman, and kickstarted the careers of Taylor and Naomi Watts.)
Read more reviews at petersonreviews.com
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