Lonesome

In small-town Australia, young gay man Casey can't get what he wants locally, instead causing a deadly scandal. He hitchhikes to Sydney, "to see the ocean".

Living on the streets and by his wits, he hooks up with guys he meets on his phone's online app. One is Tib, who takes him in, providing him with couch, some work, companionship, and sex. But when Tib's own problems causes him to revert to his s promiscuous ways, , things get difficult between them.

There is lots of male nudity and (likely simulated) sex, which leads me to believe the film is geared to a particular audience. However, Casey does have a back story that is slowly revealed, and part of his journey is to let go of his past, and reconcile his feelings of unworthiness with his streak of independence.

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.

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.

Lonesome

Who would have thought that a movie director and script writer in 2022 could conclude that some attitude and sporadic nudity was sufficient to sustain a movie.......well it just ain't! At best we had some simplistic emotional exploration but it was shallow.

There was an early scene on the beach with Casey that remained unexplained, in fact it was a slow burn revealing his backstory. When it was revealed it was quite banal, things got complicated at home so he fled to the city. Wow so rare!

What was good was the chemistry between Casey and Tib, this was the only reason I continued watching. Also the losing oneself in transient relationships to avoid emotional entanglements was cleverly engaged with as a coping mechanism in gay life.

Despite the emotional vacuum Casey became "attached" to Tib and then misread a situation that lead to a violent encounter. I got the feeling we were looking at children pretending to be adults, what with the constant storming in and out! As a depiction of gay life this was a rainy Tuesday in Brighton and only slightly more interesting than "hair night" lol!

Always a problem how to end such a movie and I think they went with the right choice. At best this is a 5 out of 10 I enjoyed the camera work but the story was so shallow. It really needed a proper script writer.

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.