Lonesome

Well, I'm always excited to see queer stories to be told on the big screen. But sadly, this one just missed the mark.

Videography was on point, both landscapes and people were shot to match the vibe of the scene. Sex scenes were also well choreographed and pleasant to watch. However, rather than helping it grow, the stunning visuals overshadowed the story.

Firstly, the acting was off. I don't know if it's from the director's instructions, but the long pauses between each line made the whole film off-paced. The most convincing acting was probably the actors' orgasm faces.

Secondly, the story just wasn't working. It wasn't developed organically, but instead, I got the feeling the plot points were inserted way before the story was even written, which made the story feel forced.

Thirdly, what's with the Stranger Things music constantly playing whenever there's a cutaway?

In all, with the problems in acting and the story, although it came with stunning visuals, Lonesome is only good, if you think of it as an art house porn.

Powerful movie about the struggles of a young gay guy: survival, migration toward a big, gay city, and learning how to love (oneself and others) without much help along the way.

The two main actors are amazing and convincing, the photography is stunning, and the plot has a picaresque pace.

The movie reminded me of another Australian queer film, Head On (1998), which deals also about identity crisis, migration, and the difficulty to be at peace with oneself.

Lonesome also reminded me of My Own Private Idaho because of many factors: the appeal of the drifting cowboy, the family drama, and the ordeal of alcohol, drugs and chemsex.

Lonesome" is a raw, unflinching exploration of gay intimacy and isolation, following Casey (Josh Lavery), a country boy navigating Sydney's queer landscape. Director Craig Boreham crafts a provocative character study that's both sexually explicit and emotionally vulnerable, tracking Casey's journey from self-punishment to potential redemption. With frank depictions of sex and connection, the film offers a nuanced portrait of loneliness, desire, and the search for belonging in modern queer life. It's one of the best Australian movies in the Queer genre i have seen so far. Not for everyone, but most good movies have a focussed audience.

A young rural Australian man escapes a small-town scandal to Sydney, meeting another guy through Grindr.

The plot feels less important than the intimacy between the lead actor and the filmmaker. The impressive performance of lead Josh Lavery is unusual and takes time to reach its full impact. At first I felt his character was too underplayed, but at least he was aware of his limitations. Slowly throughout the film I felt the impact of his hopelessness and the tangible reality of his survival-mode. Similarly, there is a lot of nudity and no aspect of his experience is excluded, the cumulative effect of which is a deep empathy and familiarity, like intimately getting to know a new lover. Subsequently, the extent of my identification with the protagonist by the end of the film was quite shocking. His relationship with the Grindr hook-up that doesn't end is also depicted in a matter-of-fact way that somehow creates a cumulative impact, where the casualness of their commitment to each other obscures the evident fact that they have something very real and significant to offer each other. I hope this film gets a chance to reach the world and that Josh Lavery gets opportunities to surprise us further as a performer.

It's a very good film which deals with a romantic gay relationship. Both of the lead actors are excellent. The story concerns aspects of love and rejection felt by both of the main characters. The background of both young men is explored very well. The lead actor is very attractive, and the secondary actor is very handsome. The scenery of Sydney and the beaches nearby is quite good. The sex scenes are very good and are done tastefully. I only gave it seven stars instead of ten because of a totally unnecessary violent BDSM scene toward the end. The plot could have been resolved without that being shown.