Our James Dean

Jack Baxter should be arrested for theft. I've never seen a young actor in a gay film steal the camera like Baxter did in "Tan Lines," a coming-of-age story set in a beach town near Sydney, Australia. He plays a 16-year-old named Midget, who is described on the movie's Web site as "surfer, teenager, partier, pervert." A better description might be a gay James Dean. Like Dean, Baxter oozes cocky cool -- even though Midget sleeps in the same bed as his dirt-poor, apparently alcoholic mother -- and exudes youthful sexuality. The story isn't complex: surfer boy discovers he's gay when a cute hunk moves back to town. The boys fall in lust -- and maybe even in love -- but Midget can't quite come out to his cool-but-insular buddies. For a gay audience, this flick has it all: a believable script, sexy bodies and lovingly shot sex. But I think non-homophobic straight guys would like it, too, simply because the story touches all humans, queer or not. Baxter, by the way, was recruited from the streets, making his performance even more remarkable. His charisma splashes all over the camera, and I think his non-acting background gives the movie rare authenticity.