Flirting (1995, VHS/EP)

Australian director John Duigan deserves, in my opinion, more attention than he's been getting. I've very much enjoyed the two films I've seen by him and look forward to trying out some more.

Historical Background: Australian director John Duigan was born June 19th, 1949 in Hartley Wintney, Hampshire, England. His father was an Australian and John emigrated to Australia in 1961. His debut film was The Firm Man (1975) but he first gained significant attention with his next two films, The Trespassers (1976) and Mouth to Mouth (1978), both low-budget affairs for which Duigan also doubled as scriptwriter. With these early films, Duigan established himself as a film voice for his adopted Australian, especially in relation to the theme of youthful alienation. In 1988, Duigan initiated a trilogy of films with The Year My Voice Broke, following the coming-of-age of a character named Danny Embling, played each time by talented actor Noah Taylor. The present film, Flirting (1991) was part two of that trilogy, but can be fully appreciated as a separate film as well. It is perhaps Duigan's best known film to date. The third film of the anticipated trilogy is supposed to be set in Paris, but has yet to be made.

Between the first two Danny Embling films, Duigan made an entirely different kind of film, Romero (1989), which was a biographical portrait of the controversial Salvadorian clergyman, Oscar Romero. Duigan had good success in 1993 with Sirens, an intriguing and erotic film set in the outback that I've seen a couple of times. Then, The Journey of August King (1995) and Lawn Dogs (1997) were critical successes, though not especially successful commercially. Some of Duigan's more recent work include Molly (1999), Paranoid (2000), The Parole Officer (2001), and Head in the Clouds (2004). Duigan's sister, Virginia, is a writer and an actress and his brother-in-law, Bruce Beresford, is a fellow director and writer.

The Story: At a posh but quasi-Nazi boarding school in St. Alban's, in rural Australia, coming-of-age rituals transpire under the strict, authoritarian oversight of the tyrannical staff. There are twin schools for the young men and young ladies on opposite sides of a symbolically purifying lake. Contact between the boys and girls takes place only under highly regimented circumstances, such as chaperoned dances, sporting events, debates, and theatrical performances.

On the boy's side of the lake, Danny Embling (Noah Taylor) chaffs under the abuse of the class bullies. Danny's a small-framed, gangly lad who stutters, but is unusually intelligent, sensitive, and aware of life's deeper concerns. He has an open mind that naturally questions authority and conventional viewpoints. The boarding school is a world without privacy. As Danny says, "You're surrounded 24 hours a day. Either you become a herd animal or you dig a cave deep inside your head." Danny has chosen the latter course of action. Danny's role models include Sartre, Camus, and Cassius Clay (later Mohammed Ali). He's a spunky kind of nerd, however, and his challenges to the regimented system provide many moments of humor and poignancy. Danny has to deal with both the bully who steals his letters and reads them out in public and the brutal, cane-wielding headmaster, Mr. Cutts (Jeff Truman). Danny does at least have one loyal friend.

On the girl's side of the lake, Thandiwe Adjewa (Thandie Newton) has her own set of challenges to confront. Thandiwe's mother was British and her father a Ugandan diplomat. Her stepmother is African. Thandiwe is therefore mixed race. She is both pretty and smart and worldlier in her experience than her classmates. Uganda has recently gained its independence but is politically unstable, so Thandiwe's thoughts are partly far away. She listens to the news broadcasts while her classmates spin records. Thandiwe experiences some racial taunts, but one senses that she would be treated as an outsider even without the added racial element. Thandiwe has to deal with the priggish Scottish mistress Guinevere Macready (Maggie Blinco) and the long-limbed blond beauty and queen bee among the girls, Nicola (Nicole Kidman). Thandiwe does at least have a couple of loyal girlfriends.

Embling and Thandiwe are each simply more intelligent, more mature, and more interesting than most of their classmates. When they briefly cross paths during a rugby match, Danny has his head buried in a book and Thandiwe takes note of him. The pair meets next at an interschool debate contest where each is a member of their respective school's debate teams. Danny delivers a cleverly ironic speech mocking his own team's position in such a subtle manner that only Thandiwe, among those present, catches the full drift of his meaning. When Thandiwe's turn comes, she is less circumspect but equally mocking of her team's position. Thus, this pair of outcasts and rebels begins to recognize one another as soul mates.

The two are able to meet, from time to time, during scheduled joint activities or surreptitiously. There's a brief setback in their relationship when one of the bullies at the boys' school steals a letter from Thandiwe to Danny and reads it out to everyone. Later, the contents of the letter are repeated from ear to ear and get back to Thandiwe, who now supposes that Danny has betrayed her by sharing her sentiments intentionally with all of his classmates. After that misperception is corrected, the pair's friendship grows stronger and evolves gradually into love.

Thandiwe sneaks into the boys' dormitory on one occasion and ends up having to hide with Danny in a stall in the boys' bathroom. Ultimately, Thandiwe and Danny have to sprint from the stall and down the corridor, much to the shock of the boys in the shower. Later, Danny challenges the school bully to a boxing match. Unfortunately for Danny, this particular bully is no paper tiger. He's big, strong, athletic, and the school's best boxer. Danny is able to survive a round with some quick footwork but is pelted senseless in the second round, in a marvelously filmed sequence. We see the match mostly from Danny's perspective, including his diplopia and confusion as his sensorium is battered into a clouded state.

Thandiwe and Danny find a few quiet moments together to explore their feelings and sexuality. Thandiwe, who is the more mature and experienced of the two, asks him if it's okay if they just touch and kiss. That suits Danny just fine, at least for the time being. It's another beautifully rendered scene, in which sensuality takes precedence over sexuality. The film's ending is strong and poignant, but I'm not going to give it away. It is no copout or open-ended fade away.

Themes: Despite the interracial dating context of the film, racism is not the film's foremost theme. The racial aspect is touched on more than once, but always from the vantage point of others reacting to the couple. The scene in which his parents meet hers is a marvel in understated good humor in relation to unspoken racial tension. For Danny and Thandiwe, however, there's just no indication that they have even noticed each other's skin color. Both are attuned to deeper issues. They are soul mates and, next to that, skin color-mates is irrelevant.

I think the film's major theme is finding what's important in life by being open and questioning. Thandiwe and Danny each are people who routinely reach beneath the surface, think philosophically, look for another person's true character, and question authority and conventional thinking. Both are respectful of one another. Thandiwe, for example, is the more mature and wise of the pair but has the wisdom and sensitivity not to let Danny know it.

Production Values: The screenplay, written by John Duigan, is a gem. It's not that the particular vignettes are any more ingenious or authentic than those in a host of other coming-of-age films. This film is a highly effective example of its genre for several reasons. First, the characters are so well drawn and have an intellectual and emotional depth that makes viewers develop a real warmth and concern for them. Secondly, the dialog is witty, intelligent, and believable. Duigan has a droll sense of humor that carries over to his characters, especially Danny. Thirdly, Duigan has a gift for revealing the psychology of his characters with great subtlety. Then (and perhaps most importantly), Duigan gets wonderful performances from his two leads, as well as Nicole Kidman in the most visible supporting role. Kidman's character is itself well handled. Just as you think you have Nicola pegged as the stereotypical snooty blond bombshell, Duigan shows you whole other levels to the character.

Noah Taylor is a fine young actor who is getting increasing exposure in a wide variety of films. His appearances since Flirting have included Shine (1996), Almost Famous (2000), Lara Croft: Tomb Raider (2001), Vanilla Sky (2001), Max (2002), in which he plays Adolf Hitler, Lara Croft Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life (2003), The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou (2004), Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (2005), in which he plays Mr. Bucket, and The New World (2005). This was the acting debut for the lovely Thandie Newton. It's an impressively natural performance. She has since appeared in such films as Interview with the Vampire (1994), Beloved (1998), Mission: Impossible II (2000), and The Truth about Charlie (2002).

What can I say about the sublime Nicole Kidman? This is perhaps the only film in which she has appeared in which she is not either the headliner or a co-star. (The distributor of this film markets it deceptively by featuring Kidman in the cover artwork.) She had already made a bit of a splash a year earlier in Dead Calm (1989). I'm personally very fond of her even earlier picture, Nightmaster (1987), though one cannot claim it as a first-rate film. Kidman has gone on to be simply one of the best actresses of her generation, appearing in such movies as Batman Forever (1995), To Die For (1995), The Portrait of a Lady (1996), Practical Magic (1998), Eyes Wide Shut (1999), Moulin Rouge (2001), The Others (2001), Birthday Girl (2002), The Hours (2002), The Human Stain (2003), and Cold Mountain (2004).

Bottom-Line: On the surface, this film is a minimalist kind of affair, slow-paced and with little drama, but bit-by-bit it grows on viewers until you're fully absorbed in the lives of these two marvelous young creatures in the process of discovering life and love. There's something remarkably fresh about this film, despite the familiar boarding school setting and the usual teen issues. If this film doesn't make you nostalgic again for the pangs of first love, then you're a hopeless case indeed.