casrya

There has been much talk about the age/beauty difference between the leads as being either 'sleazy' or 'unrealistic' but I thought I would add another perspective.

In terms of "market forces" (of which USA/Japan has plenty of shared history) they are actually a fairly equal match, she being young and beautiful, he being a successful move star.

As for the milieu, I found it pretty compelling having more than once been surprisingly emotional in foreign airports (coming and going) when confronted with an entirely different experience.

Moreover, stylish photography, often witty dialog and observations, and a nice ending, since 5 minutes earlier when they were awkwardly saying their first goodbye I was thinking to myself .. just hug :)

It appears that previous reviewers have failed to pick up upon a central theme of this unique film. Why didn't Julia just get rid of Madeline, they say? ... cardboard characters and doesn't make any sense, they say ... must be because good housekeepers are hard to come by, they say.

Of course this is a crude simplification, and what they have missed is that Julia, despite her crippling physical disability, was able to empathise with Madeline's hopelessness and despair and through a sense of unreciprocated friendship and sense of duty, refused to cut the relationship short. This is evidenced in two key scenes: Firstly, in the initial abandonment scene, there is a lingering shot of the emergency button as Julia contemplates pressing it. Later, as a post date rape follow-up, Madeline cuddles Julia and looks to her for support in bed, where a careful eye should read the compassion in Julia's face. To me this exemplifies the most compelling aspect of the film, namely, Madeline, despite her good looks and seductive sexuality, was the emotional cripple juxtaposed with the warmth and love of life displayed by Julia.

This film has given me a new perspective ...

No need to say too much about this film except that it is another almost hyper-realistic Melbourne western suburbs mood piece and a pre-cursor to the comparable Romper Stomper and Metal Skin. If you liked those two and you can chase up a copy of Lover boy then it is well worth the watch. I saw it on SBS, probably the only station that would show it as they manage to slip in the c* word a few times :-)

Noah Taylor is in fine early form as the awkward but somehow more sophisticated than his peers teenage misfit.