Flirting

"Here's to risks."

1991 1h 39m EN

👍

6.7

SOLID

🔥

96%

CERTIFIED FRESH

⭐

7.1

IMDB

★6.7TMDB · 87🍅96%Rotten Tomatoes★7.1IMDB · 6,465

DramaRomance

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Two freethinking teenagers - a boy and a girl - confront with authoritarian teachers in their boarding schools. The other students treat this differently.

“Here's to risks.”

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Cast

Noah Taylor
Danny Embling
Thandiwe Newton
Thandiwe Adjewa
Nicole Kidman
Nicola Radcliffe
Bartholomew Rose
'Gilby' Fryer
Felix Nobis
Jock Blair
Josh Picker
'Backa' Bourke
Kiri Paramore
'Slag' Green
Marc Aden Gray
Christopher Laidlaw

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: John Duigan
Writers: John Duigan
Languages: English
Countries: Australia

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Earned back only 12% of its budget on initial theatrical — a commercial disappointment on release.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

35 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

CINEMA

Did you know

Part of the "Danny Embling Collection" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by John Duigan, shot by Geoff Burton. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by James D'Arcy. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Robert Gibson shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Noah Taylor and Thandiwe Newton and Nicole Kidman carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "Here's to risks.".

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

John Duigan directs. Geoff Burton behind the camera. James D'Arcy scores. Robert Gibson cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. A commercial under-performer on release. Produced in Australia. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Earned back only 12% of its budget on initial theatrical — a commercial disappointment on release.
235 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
3Part of the "Danny Embling Collection" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.
4Directed by John Duigan, shot by Geoff Burton. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
5Original score by James D'Arcy. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
6Editor Robert Gibson shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
7Noah Taylor and Thandiwe Newton and Nicole Kidman carry the top of the cast.
8Marketing tagline: "Here's to risks.".
9IMDB entry: tt0101898 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
10Only 87 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.
11Classified under 17 themes, including "australia", "boarding school", "bullying", "girls' boarding school".
12Released under 14 different titles around the world.

The technical file

Cinematography: Geoff Burton
Original score: James D'Arcy
Editing: Robert Gibson
Production design: Roger Ford
Costume design: Roger Ford
Makeup / hair: Sherry Hubbard
Runtime: 99 min · 1h 39m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Budget: $20,000,000
Box office: $2,415,396
Return: 12% of budget
Original language: EN
Certification (US): R
IMDB: Flirting (1991)
Rotten Tomatoes: 96% 🍅 Fresh
IMDB rating: 7.1/10 · 6,465 votes
MPAA: R

Awards

5 wins & 3 nominations

AACTA Award for Best Production Design
AACTA Award for Best Editing
AACTA Award for Best Film

Individual records documented via Wikidata; the summary above may count more.

Part of

Danny Embling Collection

Two Australian coming-of-age films directed by John Duigan. Set in the 1960s, these deeply personal stories follow Danny, a socially awkward teenager, as he navigates the complexities of growing up, love, and self-discovery.