Sublimely capturing the enchantment and mental haze of first love — when everything around you seems to stand still — “Of an Age” is a lyrical romantic drama that never fails to captivate with its quiet power and surprisingly big heart.

1999年的墨尔本,17岁的Kol immigrant from Serbia, is having a meltdown: His Aussie school friend, Ebony, has gotten herself drunk and lost on a distant beach, just before the duo are scheduled to compete in the local dance finals. Ebony and Kol bring out the drama queen in each other, but despite their histrionics, they manage to hatch a plan in which Ebony’s slightly older brother, with Kol in tow, will pick her up and drive them straight to the dance competition.

When reluctant chauffeur Adam (Thom Green, stunning) arrives to get Kol (Elias Anton, very good), the rapport between the two young men has the wattage of an Uber drop-off at the dentist’s office. At least at first. But the confident, more experienced Adam has a nonchalant charm and humor that calms the high-strung yet soulful Kol, and they settle into an easygoing, sometimes droll conversation that disarms both of them (and the audience).

Writer-director Goran Stolevski doesn’t bombard us with cutesy one-liners or philosophical rants or try to overwhelm us with sexual tension. The dialogue is relatively spare, but always grounded in realism. Like a fly on the car door, we witness the natural birth of a tender, intimate bond, and we savor all of these characters’ exchanges, even when they ostensibly aren’t saying that much.

The fateful rendezvous of these two young men is made all the more urgent by the fact that Adam will be leaving the next morning for South America, where he will be working on his doctorate for a long time. On a day that started out so inauspiciously, Kol is about to experience something that may shape the rest of his life — not just in terms of his sexuality, but in matters of the heart.

Stolevski and his adept lead actors are able to delve into the complex dynamics of a budding relationship, when the intoxicating feelings of desire and connection can be bewildering and difficult to process.

The film skillfully weaves in snippets of the homophobia in Kol’s family life, but other than that, the sexual orientation of the characters is mostly incidental. This is a universal, thought-provoking story that explores the enduring nature of first love, and Stolevski succeeds in adding a fresh spin to these age-old questions.

Nothing about “Of an Age” seems forced. The film delicately embraces grand sentiments without ever being sentimental. And throughout the journey, we can’t help but be enthralled.

David Lewis is a freelance writer.