For the past a few decades, we've seen a lot of positive change in terms of LGBT rights in some part of the world (mostly the Western societies). For lucky some, it is now not an issue at all to be a gay and live as one. But not everybody's that lucky. If your background or social standing does not support it, it still is a struggle to face one's sexuality and the pain is somewhat felt even sharper due to the relative deprivation to those who fly their rainbow flag openly.
Len is from an unprivileged background, where being a traditional man is still the norm. He lives alone with his ill (and homophobic) dad and works at a landfill. His one straw that keeps his head high and proud is being a long standing champion from surf-lifesaving competition, a symbol of his aggressive masculinity. Then comes a newcomer to the lifesaver's club; Meat is younger, handsome, smart, from a middle class background, and dares to live out his gay-self (though still closeted in the masculinity dominated club). Len is jealous of Meat for all what he isn't, and desires him at the same time. The tension between the conflicting emotions finally breaks when Meat beats him at the lifesaving competition and dethrones him from his single proud relic.
The whole film basically evolves around the intense psychology of Len - his deep rooted insecurity and aggression to hide it, his homosexual desire and self hatred for it. As much as he tries to go on top of the macho world he lives in, he becomes in the end his own victim, and this irony kills him. The film as a whole may occasionally fails to make every detail convincing, but delivers Len's emotional intensity effectively if not anything else.
I think it's a worthy addition to the list gay themed films from recent years for addressing the pain of people living in the marginal world. After all we still have professional footballer committing suicide under the pressure of the world around him forcing in the closet.
Len is from an unprivileged background, where being a traditional man is still the norm. He lives alone with his ill (and homophobic) dad and works at a landfill. His one straw that keeps his head high and proud is being a long standing champion from surf-lifesaving competition, a symbol of his aggressive masculinity. Then comes a newcomer to the lifesaver's club; Meat is younger, handsome, smart, from a middle class background, and dares to live out his gay-self (though still closeted in the masculinity dominated club). Len is jealous of Meat for all what he isn't, and desires him at the same time. The tension between the conflicting emotions finally breaks when Meat beats him at the lifesaving competition and dethrones him from his single proud relic.
The whole film basically evolves around the intense psychology of Len - his deep rooted insecurity and aggression to hide it, his homosexual desire and self hatred for it. As much as he tries to go on top of the macho world he lives in, he becomes in the end his own victim, and this irony kills him. The film as a whole may occasionally fails to make every detail convincing, but delivers Len's emotional intensity effectively if not anything else.
I think it's a worthy addition to the list gay themed films from recent years for addressing the pain of people living in the marginal world. After all we still have professional footballer committing suicide under the pressure of the world around him forcing in the closet.