Following its UK Premiere at the 2017 Iris Prize Festival in Cardiff , lead actor Miles Szanto won the festival’s award for Best Performance in a Male Role.
The Australian coming of age drama from writer/director Craig Boreham is set in the suburbs of Sydney. Although two of the cast members, Daniel Webber and Charlotte Best are ‘Home and Away’ alumni, this is the antithesis of teenage teatime TV drama; a gritty, raw, authentic, sexy, independent film.
‘Teenage Kicks’ stars Miles Szanto as Mik, a troubled seventeen year old who blames himself for his brother’s death and sees it as somehow tied up with his burgeoning sexuality.
Mik’s is secretly in love with his best friend Dan (Daniel Webber) and the pair dream of escaping suburbia together, a plan which is threatened when Dan gets a girlfriend, Phaedra (Charlotte Best).
As Mik suffers from the fallout of his brother’s death and the pressure to live up to his parents expectations, he explores his sexuality and experiments with drugs.
Beautifully photographed by Bonnie Elliott, with strong performances all-round, ‘Teenage Kicks’ potently captures how highly charged everything in life is as a teenager and the frustrations of navigating those years. Miles Szanto is compelling throughout, delivering a rich portrayal of Mik by turns defiant, vulnerable, angry and ecstatic.
Teenage Kicks’ is available now on VOD and DVD. ★★★★
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