Flirting (1991)

Directed by John Duigan. Starring Noah Taylor, Thandiwe Newton, Nicole Kidman, Bartholomew Rose, Jeff Truman, Kym Wilson, Naomi Watts, Marshall Napier, Felix Nobis, Josh Picker. [R]

Tentative teen romance between socially-awkward, lightly-rebellious Taylor and a quiet girl from Uganda (Newton) at a 1960s boarding school in Australia. Perceptive film has a few surprises up its sleeve and cultural specifics to set it apart from the teen movie pack; the boarding school milieu/social hierarchy and Taylor’s battles with authority will ring familiar, but the political/family road blocks toward the end offer a fresh spin, and Kidman’s fellow student isn’t the one-dimensional popular snob she initially appears to be. Newton leaves a good impression in her first film role; coincidentally enough, the name of the character she plays (Thandiwe) is also the actress’ real moniker, but she went by “Thandie” professionally for many years before changing it back.

76/100