New SBS series ‘Kick’ provoked hot debate at OUTinPerth this week with staff split fifty-fifty on whether it was going to be the quirky new Australian hit or the most dreadfully annoying half hour on TV. Kick is an ambitious new thirteen part drama/comedy from SBS which takes characters that scream ‘token’ in any other series, gives them a brush over with the eye-candy wand, moves them into a street in inner Melbourne and packs them in firmly with rapid fire dialogue and ever increasingly complicated twists of fate.
The standout performer in early episodes is newcomer to the screen Nicole Chamoun. Chamoun is definitely one to watch out for in coming years for oh-so-many reasons, not the least of which is her touchingly subtle performance as budding lesbian Layla. A quiet, reserved young Lebanese woman, Layla is engaged to be married when a university fencing class pitches her into the complex business of falling in love with a feisty blonde – Jacqui (Romi Trower). It’s a relationship with a few breakers ahead though – like Layla’s impending engagement party, and her family’s traditional values.
Chamoun told OUT that Layla is an ‘extremely heartfelt character. While everyone else wants to be out there, she’s a contrast who puts family first and herself second. She wants to make her family proud and wants to follow her heart with Jacqui’. Kick has more extroverted characters than the combined backlist of b-grade BB celebs, and in this context, Chamoun’s sensitive, understated performance shines.
The other families on working class, inner city Hope St have equally complex stories. Love, friendship, aspirations and family life collide under the influence of daily reality. The conflict between the values of first and second generation migrants drives both the drama and the comedy, as Romi Trower explained, ‘the situations create pain, but also a level of humour’.
While hopefully some of the overacting evident in the first few episodes recedes, it is refreshing to see a series that grounds itself in the stories of modern multicultural Australia. By turns exuberant and earnest, Kick is like a teenager – a bit gangly around the edges, sometimes excruciating, but with the potential to grow into a really great Australian series.
Kick starts June 9, @ 8pm, SBS.
