'Of An Age' Is A Reminder There's No Timeline For Growing UpCan you come of age in a day? Before watching Of An Age, I wasn't sure it was possible, but this film showed me that there isn't a timeline for growing up. Some people are born mature beyond their years, and others will remain young at heart forever. I'd argue that we never stop coming “of age,” because there will always be new opportunities to grow throughout all the stages of our lives. There's no “fixed” or “guaranteed” timeline for these things to happen, and Of An Age proves it.
The coming-of-age genre is a favourite of mine. I count Booksmart and The Perks of Being a Wallflower as some of my all-time favourite films. But despite being a lover of the genre, a lot of coming-of-age films are just so… high school. That's not all that surprising, given that a lot of formative experiences happen during these school years, but what I really like about Of An Age is that it isn't afraid to look at what happens after high school. It examines those transitionary years where you are freed from the shackles of a school routine but are faced with the terrifying freedom of making your own choices and becoming your own person for the first time.
There's a chance that Of An Age flew under your radar when it was released in 2022, but it shouldn't, because I wholeheartedly believe this is one of the most underrated coming-of-age films from the past decade.
Of An Age is an Australian romantic drama film directed by Goran Stolevski. It did the film festival circuit a few years ago, screening at Melbourne International Film Festival before being picked up for US distribution by Focus Features. Of An Age unfolds on a 1999 day in Melbourne. Nikola ‘Kol’ (Elias Anton) and his best friend Ebony (Hattie Hook) are new graduates about to compete in the finals of a ballroom dance competition. When Ebony calls Kol hungover from an unknown faraway beach with barely two hours until the competition, he's forced to recruit the only person in their lives who is available and happens to have a car at that time, Ebony's older brother, Adam (Thom Green).
Adam and Kol are strangers to one another, excluding a few high school family-friend events they might've been introduced at, and they are instantly uncomfortable with each other. Kol is an awkward but kind-hearted 17-year-old who has grown up in the tight confines of a Serbian immigrant family. His prowess at ballroom dancing is one of the only niches he's found to express himself among his conservative family, and this is now in jeopardy thanks to Ebony's self-absorption. Meanwhile, Adam is Ebony's cooler and charismatic older brother. He is worldly and thoughtful, a lover of foreign films and artful mixtapes, and very comfortable in his skin.
A series of awkward exchanges in the car reveals surprising insights that start to melt away the duo's walls and expectations. They share an appreciation for philosophical literature and a disdain for their old high school. Their banter swiftly grows into an easy chemistry. When Adam drops the revelation that he is gay, there's a spark of hope that the duo's blooming attraction could be something that is acted on. Except, Adam is moving to Buenos Aires tomorrow, and Kol is still firmly in the closet.
After their journey to collect Ebony leaves them with no possibility of making the dance competition deadline, Kol begins to relax and take in the adventure of the day. He won't be winning any championships, but he might be on the path to something even more rewarding.
Of An Age does a remarkable job of creating a deeply moving romance in the tiniest of interactions. A glance in a mirror, an exchange of clothing, a strained silence. The writing is masterful, turning harmless conversation beats into puzzle pieces that form the picture of a human being, sold effortlessly by the two lead actors. Stolevski turns moments that might seem fleeting into permanency, forging interactions that alter the entire identity of a person. The romance between Kol and Adam is a slow burn but lacks no fire. It will stay with them their whole lives.
There's something about the construction of reality in Of An Age that feels so authentic. The film captures unspoken desires, like the longing to escape who you were in high school and grappling with the truth that your friends from school might not be your friends forever. In particular, it paints a devastating portrait of wanting what you can't have. This is a theme that is particularly pertinent to LGBTQ+ films, which makes Of An Age both a quintessentially queer film and a coming-of-age classic.
Tonally, it's closer to Moonlight than it is to something like Love, Simon, but Of An Age remains distinct thanks to its inherent Australian identity. The film just feels so deeply Australian, even speaking as an Aussie who didn't grow up in that exact same era. The slang runs a mile-a-minute, which probably makes it borderline indecipherable, but casual references to the Melways or schoolies, or the realistic depiction of a suburban house party, are instantly recognisable to anyone initiated. It also manages to capture that somewhat unspoken desire that most Aussies have to escape and go abroad, which I think must be tied to the fact that Australia is just so far away from everything else.
These different themes are so neatly woven that none ever threaten to overturn the central romance of Of An Age. Instead, they add to this rich atmosphere of a specific time and place in two people's lives.
So, can you fall in love in one day? Yes, you absolutely can. In a single day, we're able to watch as Kol shifts out of his repressed self to discover the truth about his sexuality and experience love for the first time. It's a journey that some coming-of-age films struggle to portray over weeks, months, or years, and Of An Age does it in a single car ride.
First love is nothing new to the coming-of-age genre, in fact, it's often paramount. But Of An Age does such an effective job of showing how swiftly and deeply these feelings can take hold, to the point that they lay roots that never truly go away. Without giving too much away, the film's third act builds on its use of time even further, examining how one day can shape your entire life. It's another reason that this film serves as a reminder that you can have multiple “comings of age." Growth isn't tied to a number, but it can take place in a moment.
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