ED ALDRIDGE

Bil’s rating (out of 5):  BB. 

Australia, 2007.  Screenplay by Ed Aldridge.  Cinematography by David Gacs.  Produced by Christian Willis.  Music by The Mares.  Film Editing by Rolmar Baldonado.  

In a world overrun with gay surfer movies, what’s the harm of one more? This unpleasant, dull drama focuses on a young male named Midget, living in a tiny Aussie town, who tries to talk tough with his friends between waves but has a secret he can’t reveal: his best friend’s brother has come home from exile after having an affair with a male schoolteacher, and Midget is now having a relationship with him.  This inspires the possibility of his looking beyond his limited scope and seeing more of the world, possibly with this new lover, but even sheltered little him is wise enough to know better than to put all his eggs in one basket. Not that you’ll care; the performances are effectively natural but the pace is sluggish and the tone is off-putting.  Director Ed Aldridge doesn’t try to make his characters sympathetic and when they are likeable by accident, he avoids letting it affect his coldly unimpressive film. Don’t bother with it unless you want to see the nudity and middlingly graphic sex.