Newcastle - DVD

Sibling rivalry stands in the way of a young man's dreams in this coming of age drama from Australia. Jesse (Lachlan Buchanan) is seventeen years old and he's not interested in much besides surfing. Jesse's constant desire to hit the beach is fueled in part by an unhappy home life; his older half-brother Victor (Reshad Strik) used to be a local surfing champ until an injury forced him to put away his board, and now he's spends his days wallowing in cynicism and alcohol, while Jesse's younger brother Fergus (Xavier Samuel) is a punk rocker who has recently embraced his homosexuality, something Jesse hasn't become comfortable with. Jesse dreams of joining the local surfing team, and when a group of his friends and fellow surfers make plans for an all-night party on the beach, Jesse is determined to attend, even if it means lying to his parents. After a day on the surf, Jesse and his pals kick back with plenty of booze and marijuana while urging some local beach bunnies to join them for the evening, but things take an uncomfortable turn when Victor shows up and senses that his younger brother is poised to take his place as one of the stars of the local surfing scene. Newcastle was the first feature film from writer and director Dan Castle. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide