Production year: 1998 Directed by: Simon Shore Writing credits: Patrick Wilde Starring: Ben Silverstone, Brad Gorton, Charlotte Brittain, Stacy Hart, Kate McEnery, Patrick Nielsen, Tim Harris, James D. White, James Perkins, Nicholas Hunter, Jacquetta May, David Lumsden, David Elliot, Morgan Jones, Richard Hawley . --> Buy 'Get Real' on Video/DVD

Get Real

'Sweet Sixteen'
By Stian Nilsen

Get Real is a moving story about the difficulties involved in being young and in the closet. Steven is a 16 year-old sixth form student who has been aware of his homosexuality since the age of eleven. His plump, strong willed best friend, Linda, is the only person who knows his secret.

Steven is beginning to explore his homosexuality through that unappealing ritual of meeting men in a public park restroom. Life becomes even more complicated when Steven falls in love with John, a popular and handsome jock at school who turns out to be even more conflicted and closeted than Steven himself.

At a school dance Stephen and John looks longingly at each other totally ignoring their female dancing partners. Afterwards, the drunk athlete shows up at Stephen's house and they spend the night together. Stephen is required to keep their relationship a secret and John barely speaks to him at school. But over the course of time, Stephen becomes less and less willing to tolerate his lover's cowardice, leading to a dramatic denouement.

- 2.5 stars (out of 4)