Award-winning filmmaker Simon Pearce takes the helm for this gritty coming-of-age story about a teenage gang member who keeps his homosexuality a secret from his fellow thugs. Eighteen-year-old Cal (Wayne Virgo) is all about sex, drugs, and violence. He's a hoodlum at heart, but his sexual urges set him apart from the pack. Despite random hookups, it's fellow gangster Jonno (Tom Bott) that Cal really wants. Secretly pining for Jonno from afar, Cal gets uneasy when de facto gang leader Nessa grows suspicious of his sexuality. When Nessa commands the gang to mug an innocent student named Oliver (Marc Laurent) and the incident turns into a gay bashing, Cal distracts the gang momentarily so Oliver can escape. Worried about the repercussions of his impulsive act of heroism, Cal seeks help from Oliver, who offers him a place to stay until it all blows over. With Oliver, Cal can finally be himself, and the two men slowly fall in love. But Nessa is out for revenge, and she's determined to hit Cal where it hurts the most.

This is as exciting and urgent as street-level filmmaking gets Shadows on the Wall