Special Australia Festival
With the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust Australia
2006
97 minutes
Language: English
Director: Ed Aldridge

Midget surfs and slumbers through his days in a small Australian town. The holidays arrive, and a daily regimen of surfing, partying and skating commences. With glorious waves beckoning and only occasional - though mysterious - work to attend to at the McQuillan mansion, Midget readily falls into a perfectly lazy teenage routine. Soon, however, he begins to search for another outlet to counteract the bored strain of this monotonous life, the claustrophobia of the town and the endless predictability of it all.

When his best friend's brother, Cass, returns to town after four years traveling in Europe, Midget's curiosity is piqued. Cass's punk demeanor, surfing prowess and unusual openness - even cockiness - about his homosexuality light a fire under Midget, and the two are quickly embroiled in a passionate affair. Midget's newfound sexuality proves difficult to reconcile with the homophobic surfing culture, but he's not yet ready to give up either.

Shady details develop around the circumstances of Cass's sudden departure four years prior, and Midget is left disoriented: Is Cass's outwardly confident persona real? How long can he keep up this increasingly volatile relationship? Is there actually a way out of this town that no one ever seems to leave? Grappling with these questions while taking a tumultuous coming-of-age ride rife with lust, love and drugs, Midget is sure of only one thing: He can no longer go with the flow. - ILYA TOVBIS