Len is top dog at his surf club; he is the winner of everything and an alpha male with attitude. His 'mates' are al macho grand standing rugger bugger types who tick all the relevant cliché boxes and expect him to do likewise. He is also a top life saver and has a penchant for Budgie smugglers. His best mate is called 'Meat' in reference to him being overly endowed in the trouser department and is a simple soul who does what Len tells him.
Then new kid turns up and saves a life on his first day and then starts to steal Len's thunder. This is Phil – Jack Mathews of 'Neighbours' fame. Phil is also gay and on a drunken night out things come to a head – no pun intended. Len is jealous of and apparently both attracted and repelled by this new man. The problem is the old adage of 'in vino veritas' hangs true – but not everyone can accept their truths.
Now this is just excellent; Matt Levett as Len is exceptional as the troubled sports star and brings a menace to the screen that is tempered by the fear and loathing that make up his complex character. As Quentin Crisp said 'some roughs are pretty queer and some queers are pretty rough' this can certainly be applied to Len. The use of editing is brilliant and adds to the immediacy of the whole piece. There is a constant throb of homo eroticism that intermingles with the ordinariness of what is actually happening and juxtaposes all the emotions that the players are going through.
The cinematography is truly brilliant too and that is by Dean Francis who co-edited; so I hope to see more good stuff from him. Please don't get me wrong, this is a hard watch in places and is painfully visceral when it needs to be; but I really appreciate cinema that pushes the boundaries – can illicit emotion and leaves you feeling that you have seen something special – absolutely recommended.
