Fed up of algorithms channelling the same kind of entertainment in your direction? Then check out Secrets of a Wallaby Boy, an offbeat new British queer comedy that’s nothing like anything you’ve seen before.
Tim Coaster (Brandon McCaffrey) is a lacklustre, undisciplined gay man in his twenties, living in Manchester. He’s unemployed, unfit and his constant horniness is not translating into sex, adding to his frustration. This is in contrast to his trans flatmate Jade (Billie Hindle), who has money and lots of sex, often with the hunky couriers from Wallaby who deliver her food. She’s fed up with having to lend Tim money for the rent, and suggests he become a Wallaby courier himself, earning himself cash and opportunities for casual sex in the process.
Tim applies for a job and is interviewed by an animated AI marsupial called Bruce (Colin Baker, Doctor Who), who offers him a job at Wallaby and becomes his boss. Tim has a somewhat hapless start. He can barely ride a bike, and incorrectly assumes his first customer is up for having sex with him. He soon gets into the swing of things though and ends up in increasingly bizarre situations with his customers, both sexually and otherwise. Matters reach a head when one of Wallaby’s best customers turns out to be a corrupt government minister, Argyle (Laurence R Harvey), and Tim finds himself out of his depth…
Written and directed by Kieron Moore, Secrets of a Wallaby Boy makes a nod to classic 1970s British comedies such as the Confessions of… series, combined with the quirky surrealism of gems such as Spaced and Doctor Who. That’s not to say that this film is in the same category as any of those classics – it’s let down slightly by unsophisticated cinematography and some uneven editing. Nevertheless, it’s refreshingly different, light-hearted, unpredictable and the characters are likeable when they need to be and villainous when not. The film has more than enough laugh out funny moments, particularly the various slapstick sex scenes. One of my favourite actors, Mark Benton, (Early Doors, Anna and the Apocalypse) plays Tim’s eccentric, understanding father, Roland. The film’s themes of AI bosses, the gig economy, the difficulty in meeting rent payments and queer urban hook-up culture are all current and relevant and blend easily into the offbeat plot. A playful 75 minutes that must have been fun to make.
Queerguru’s Contributing Editor Ris Fatah is a successful fashion/luxury business consultant (when he can be bothered) who divides and wastes his time between London and Ibiza. He is a lover of all things queer, feminist, and human rights in general. @ris.fatah
Labels: 2024, Billie Hindle, Brandon McCaffrey, British comedy, Kieron Moore, review, Ris Fatah, Secrets of A Wallaby Boy
