I’ve just finished bingeing ‘The Invisible Boys’ on Stan, and I’m here to say it’s fantastic! This 10-part Australian series beautifully navigates the LGBTQ+ coming-out experience with a mix of Aussie humour, emotion, and authenticity. Set in Western Australia, the series follows the lives of four teenage boys who are all coming to grips with family expectations, their sexuality, and falling in love for the first time. As we all know, one’s first love can be trying, and it’s even harder if you’re queer and closeted in a small town. This is a recipe for disaster: suicide rates are higher among queer youth than among their heterosexual counterparts. It’s good to watch a series that puts heteronormative portrayals aside and focuses on empowering LGBTQ+ youth.
The performances by Joe Klocek, who plays the elusive Matt, Zach Blampied, playing Hammer, the ever-so-hot football star, and Joseph Zada, who plays the central character of Charlie, a loose cannon obsessed with sex and Nick Cave, are all stellar. But the young actor playing Zeke, Aydan Calafiore, almost steals the show! Calafiore, a contestant on The Voice in 2018, shines in all his scenes. In one sticky moment, Zeke is wanking to porn on the internet and is interrupted by his homophobic Italian mother, beautifully portrayed by Pia Miranda of Looking for Alibrandi fame. In fact, the mother-and-son scenes are some of the best in the show, and the wedding scene where the boys dance to a Kylie Minogue song against Zeke’s mother’s wishes will make you laugh and break your heart. Special shout-out to the Indigenous cast, particularly Jade Baynes, who plays Charlie’s bandmate, Bec, and Elaine Crombie and Shareena Clanton, who play Hammer’s aunt and mum. All three actors are brilliantly cast and deliver strong, likable performances.
Set during Australia’s 2017 same-sex marriage postal survey, Invisible Boys explores the difficulties of growing up queer in the remote coastal city of Geraldton. The series, based on a young adult novel by Holden Sheppard, is well-directed by Nicholas Verso and beautifully photographed, and Western Australia provides one helluva backdrop! With themes around identity, mental health, invisibility, and friendship, Invisible Boys is a testament to good, honest, well-written Australian storytelling.
Heads up: the series contains confronting storylines and male-on-male sex scenes. If you’re easily offended, perhaps watch Ready Steady Cook. If you’re not, this killer series is a must-watch; break out the caramel-salted popcorn and open a beer. Kudos to the streaming service Stan for bringing us such an Aussie gem!
Harlequin ink 
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