Jeanskynebu the audience applauded

Claysaba Excellent, Without a doubt!!

Tymon Sutton The acting is good, and the firecracker script has some excellent ideas.

Mandeep Tyson The acting in this movie is really good.

Suradit It seems everyone in the movie is attempting to escape from where and who they are. Some actually leave. Some escape through fantasy, others with drugs or drink, still others by taking a holiday at the lake. The mother of the central character, Midget, seems to spend the entire movie escaping life through sleep, covered with a blanket and only reaching out for cash that Midget leaves for her next to the bed … a bed that he and his mother share. Even the money Midget provides his mother is "earned" from an old lady who escapes from her reality by watching Midget and her niece acting out a sexual charade.Midget, who seems to be one of the few genuinely lovable, essentially "normal" people in the movie, keeps trying to figure out who he really is and what he really wants. Sadly he seems to be continually used and rejected by everyone … gay friends, straight friends, older people, young people, his mother.In the end Midget abandons his quest for love, gives up his hope of escape from his hopeless environment and attempts to resolve his loneliness in the only way left open to him.You really have to love Midget. It's quite sad that love is in such short supply in his life.

sigmund3 A couple of cute boys is about all there is for this film to hang its hat on -- Jack Baxter as Midget being the best of the lot. The movie drags terribly and the audio is lousy. Acting is wretched and there isn't much of an ending, either. Come to think of it, don't waste your time. I hope to see the Baxter kid doing other work because he's the only bright spot in the thing. Gay cinema BEGS for more happy endings like "Regarding Billy," so why aren't there more of them?The storyline regarding the living arrangements of the girl and her aunt were odd. Very strange, indeed. Not at all believable. And Midget's mother never out of the bed so we could see her face is kinda lame. Surprised she even got a credit at the end. Was she a drunk? A drug addict? WHAT? That was never explained. And the part about no one knowing who Midget's father was is also a mystery that's never explained, either.Then, there's the silly thing about the gay teacher having had sex with Cassidy four years earlier: What TRIPE! I'm telling you, the plot in this yawner was terrible! And the director handled this part of the story so badly, it might as well have been left out. It was supposed to have been the part of the story that triggered the behavior of some of the other characters, but it was dealt with quite poorly!Imagine Cassidy having had an affair with his sexy teacher four years back and then running off in disgrace. But after returning and hooking up with Midget, he walks in on the teacher kissing Midget in the showers. Corny. If that's not bad enough, then Cassidy proceeds to "whip up" on the teacher during the shower scene, leaving him with a broken arm.But in the final scene, we see the same teacher and Cassidy sailing off into the sunset on a ferry. The teacher has one arm in a sling and the other around Cassidy and he's kissing Cassidy on the cheek. While poor Midget is left humiliated and alone on the dock where Cassidy has just tossed him over in favor of the teacher.Give me a MAJOR break!Nobody would DO that! Midget's just too cute and irresistible. And after getting mauled like that by Cassidy, the teacher would NEVER go back to the kid that had beaten him up. Just wouldn't happen. Bad storyline.The only socially redeeming part was that Midget finds the only other gay guy his own age in the film and has sex with him in the bathroom. (Hmmm ... kinda thought they might wind up together.) Gets a "3" for the 2 cute guys.

mouchette1 "All I want from this life is a little space. That's all I want."Those who say this film lacks heart clearly have never found themselves aware of the doldrums of everyday life. Or they simply lack a keen eye for subtlety. One of the things I love most about this film is its utter lack of a compositional score. There is no music safe for the songs we hear, quite lifelessly from Midget's headphones. In fact, lifeless is a marvelous word to describe this film because in its lack of heart, lies the terrible melancholy and truth of nothingness. It's about people trying to find something from nothing. It seems like a trite notion, and one which many independent filmmakers have tackled with little success, because of their indulgence and incessant naval-gazing. But here, "Tan Lines" writer and director, Ed Aldrige, has concocted a deliberately (and perfectly) paced art film about a community in a listless Oceanside town in Australia.At first, the acting seems stiff. But then it becomes clearer that the characters' words are but sounds coming out of their mouths, with little meaning or punch behind them. They talk for the sake of talking. They try to express themselves, but only wind up exchanging banalities without really finding the motivation to say anything that matters to them. The acting is then perfectly synched with the tone of film which is listless. And wonderfully so.It won't be everybody's cup of tea. People who love sweeping climaxes and funny gags to get them through a film would do well to look elsewhere. But for those who appreciate well made small films with an intention to entice and provoke feeling and thought, may find something to chew on from "Tan Lines". Not to mention, the film is beautifully shot. It's very static and coloured quite dryly, like the sun had made all of the colours fade.In terms of the plot, it is quite bare, but rich with the nuances in the everyday life of this group of young surfers. Aldrige never spoon feeds you information or character motivations, yet his film never comes off as lazy or un-focused. It is a gift to watch a film wherein a filmmaker trusts his audience enough not to explain every single act that is being committed, but instead finds a way to keep the story moving along while making us believe every single character we see on screen. There is also a nice reference to Ms. Havisham from Dickens' "Great Expectations" in one of the characters, though that is my own interpretation. Again, a wonderful instance where a strange character is never explained, but merely meant to make you ponder after the film has ended. That is what I look for in films. I prefer to be left thinking once the credits roll. I know some moviegoers prefer simply to leave the theater feeling good, but for a more satisfying experience at the cinema, I do recommend well made small films like "Tan Lines" which leave mysteries up for the viewer to decide on. That is the beauty of art.I'm sorry if I sound pretentious. There have been terribly negative reviews of this film, so take this as my counter argument, instead of a simple review.

TOM O'LEARY I thought I had seen more than enough gay coming of age stories. Some told well, others not so well. It's a genre that is unbeatable: pretty young thing figures out who he or she is.TAN LINES is a gay coming of age tale but it is amazingly up to date.This movie is a wonderful surprise---a small gem, really. The photograph on the DVD and the title are actually misleading. The actor on the cover is not the lead, though he is good.The standout performance in TAN LINES is the by the actor playing the main character. Jack Baxter is absolutely sensational as a smart and mouthy youth coming of age. He is attracted to other boys but also lets himself be distracted by females.The Australian director of this movie has done a gorgeous job of creating a totally believable world of young slacker/surfers. This screenplay for TAN LINES is smart, funny, sexy, interesting and compelling.Bravo to all involved, especially Jack Baxter!