Part absurdist comedy, part deep-seated satire of contemporary Australia as experienced by the young and affluent, Friends and Strangers follows twenty-somethings Ray and Alice as they navigate a series of increasingly awkward and comedic situations, from odd romantic encounters to awkward opportunities for professional growth.

The story pivots on the failed attempts of freelance videographer Ray (Fergus Wilson) to woo the disinterested Alice (Emma Diaz) during an impromptu camping trip, and the fallout back in Sydney. Once they have tacitly buried their vague ambitions, all that remains are half-hearted attempts with equally indeterminate results. The inexperienced life of wayward young people seeking romantic and professional satisfaction remains an ever-present theme of international cinema, yet Australian director James Vaughan has found entirely new, poignant, and hilarious ways to reveal his characters’ charms and deficits, privileges and blind spots. Vaughan’s ear for the casual cut-down and the solipsism of youth is matched by his refreshing affinity for structural surprise, climaxing in an extended, hilarious sequence at the home of a wealthy client of Ray’s that gently pushes the boundaries of comic realism.

An Official Selection of the New Directors/New Films Series 2021 (Film at Lincoln Center)