Completely forgot this was happening

It's fitting that both Gus Van Sant's and John Duigan's respective 1991 releases are largely unheard of, as their central characters remain on the threshold of society themselves. My Own Private Idaho tells the story of Mikey, a street hustler, while Flirting follows Danny, a socially reserved teenager in a strict prep school. Both characters are estranged to some degree from their parents and have only one or two close friends, and thus spend most of the films on their own, allowing the audience to become much more familiar and intimate with their arcs.
 
In Flirting's case, Duigan constantly follows Danny. The audience goes where he goes, sees what he sees, and is allowed into bedrooms, locker rooms, private quarters, and any other school facilities that a student might have access to. This point of view allows for a much more intimate portrayal of Danny's escapades (especially his romance), something not often seen even in other notable coming-of-age films.  The lack of parental presence and the fact that every single scene involves Danny contribute even more to the film's separation from conventional teen dramas/romances.

Van Sant certainly avoids any notion of mainstream success with the very premise of My Own Private Idaho. In 1991, the subject of male prostitution was still something not often seen in feature films, much less explored in depth. Van Sant decided to take this controversial topic and write highly sympathetic and rich characters, who prove to be compelling despite their less-than-reputable profession. Additionally, Van Sant makes heavy use of symbols and fantastic imagery (the falling barn comes to mind) to illustrate a character's emotion rather than focus solely on the film's plot. It's probably also worth mentioning that the film is broken up by location, and the audience is made aware by color-coded title cards (PORTLAND... SEATTLE... IDAHO, etc.), an unconventional editing decision if any. Such unique (and jarring) directorial choices contribute to the film's overall isolated and disjointed mood, which appropriately reflects Mikey's own internal conflict.