Tuesday, May 27, 2008

Flirting (1990) R - 4 Stars

WOW what a surprisingly good movie set in a beautiful location in Australia. I was surprised to see a real young Nicole Kidman playing Nicola, one of the lead preppy girls in the school. A wonderful group of support characters enhance the story. The professor in the boys dorm is a psycho, caning the boys butts to conformity. The movie is often narrated by one of the main characters, Danny and I love one of his poetic thoughts of digging a cave deep inside of your head to peer out through your eye sockets. The story is of a love and bond so tight, two students would risk it all just to be together.

Taking place in the in 1965 , Nicola Radcliffe (Nicole Kidman) is a snooty prep girl is raised to be a lady at a private girls Australian boarding home. Thandiwe Adjewa (Thandie Newton) Ugandan exchange student is one of the girls in her dorm. Thandiwe has a few friends but mostly is snubbed because she is black and from Africa. The girls are taught at all times to behave like ladies even though the older students are talk sultry dances of seduction.

Across the lake is the boys dorm where Danny Embling (Noah Taylor) and others are being schooled. In these awkward years of becoming young adults, there's a constant flirting going on every time the boys and girls get together. Danny has become the boy the group makes fun of when it's discovered that Thandiwe has taken a fancy to him. He allows himself to become their fall guy as he really doesn't care what people think of him.

Danny and Thandiwe become closer and begin sneaking out to see each other, entirely against every rules of the school. As their interracial romance blossoms, Danny learns she will be leaving the school to fly back to Africa to help her parents in a state of revolution. They must find a way to be together one last time.

1990 - Flirting - Australian Film Institute Awards - Best Film.

Samuel Goldwyn Films
Director: John Duigan
Writer: John Duigan
Producers: George Miller, Doug Mitchell, Terry Hayes
I viewed 5/08

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