|
Susan's given up on men. Stephen's given up on life. Elizabeth's given up on marriage. Only Emily believes that they have got it in them to change. And she needs them to.
|
Rated:
|
[ M ]
MODERATE COARSE LANGUAGE, MODERATE THEMES, MODERATE VIOLENCE
|
|
Cinema release:
|
8 Jun 2006
|
|
DVD release:
|
25 Oct 2006
|
|
Director:
|
Sandra Sciberras
|
|
Running time:
|
90 mins
|
|
Stars:
|
Susie Porter, Victoria Thaine, Wendy Hughes, Phillip Quast, Robert Mammone, Khan Chittenden
|
|
Links:
|
Official Site
IMDb
Rotten Tomatoes
|
What we say
|
Winter Wonderland
"The Caterpillar Wish" is the first film from IndiVision, an Australian Film Commission project that supports the development of low-budget independent productions - and it's my favourite Aussie feature so far this year.
Filmed in Robe on the limestone coast in South Australia, "The Caterpillar Wish" has a similar tone and structure to "Lantana". The beautifully written screenplay is honoured by outstanding performances - particularly young actress Victoria Thaine - and invites the audience to ponder the direction of their own lives and loves.
Emily (Thaine) is a 17-year-old schoolgirl who lives with her mother Susan (Susie Porter), a topless waitress, in a picturesque coastal town. For years, Emily has been searching for her real father within the community, even though Susan assures her that he was a random tourist who came through the town one summer and never returned.
While Emily is looking to the future, Susan is trying to forget her past. Her parents abandoned her when she fell pregnant at 15, and she has kept her daughter away from them ever since.
Emily is secretly dating Joel (Khan Chittenden), the teenage son of policeman Carl (Phillip Quast) and Elizabeth (Wendy Hughes), whose own marriage is falling apart for reasons linked to Emily's plight.
"The Caterpillar Wish" explores what people do when they're burdened by the past and struggling to find a future. The mother-daughter relationship is rich in complexity, while Emily's actions act as a catalyst to help the adults around her.
Victoria Thaine is a revelation as Emily, whose innocence is offset by her inquisitive nature. She sees the dark clouds swallowing those around her and is desperate not to fall into the same trap.
Shot over 24 days in wintry July, "The Caterpillar Wish" looks simply beautiful. The foggy, cold, old-world atmosphere of Robe complements the film's themes, as does production designer Robert Webb's (Wolf Creek) use of pastel colours.
This is director Sandra Sciberras' second collaboration with producer Kate Whitbread and I can only hope for a third. I left the cinema feeling truly moved and uplifted... I can't ask for much more than that from a film.
The Caterpillar Wish
Australian films are having a romance, it seems, with country coastal towns. Long the haven for soap opera, these sleepy sea-change hamlets are a hotbed for sin, sex and betrayal.
A teenage girl searches the faces of the men in the town for the one that might be her father. Her mother, a wild one long estranged from her buttoned-down parents, works in the topless back bar of a hotel. Mum has an uneasy relationship with the local chief inspector, who hides a secret, and a local fisherman who harbours a not-so-secret attraction to her. The relationship between the girl and the inspector's son threatens to unravel in a dreadful outcome that will tear apart the town.
Unfortunately, what unravels is the delicate web spun by director Sandra Sciberras, courtesy of a corny conclusion and unsatisfactory resolution. At the moment when the film's mystery is revealed, the story suddenly shifts gears and starts to smile as if the drama we have just endured can have a sunny sit-com end. It's a disappointing, almost offensively pap way to bring the matters to a close.
It's a shame as Sciberras has managed to make us care for the characters through some outstanding performances from a uniformly wonderful cast. Susie Porter discourages empathy in portraying a reckless mother out of touch with her daughter. Phillip Quast is quite incredible as the conflicted cop while Helen Morse has never been more effecting as the wife trapped in a loveless marriage. Robert Mammone is definitely matinee movie material and it's a delight to once more see Prisoner icon Elspeth Ballantyne on the screen.
A fine Australian film thwarted by unnecessary sentimentality, The Caterpillar Wish could have emerged as another spectacular Australian product. What does come about here of note, however, is the introduction of great new Australian talent in Victoria Thaine, who has experienced a chrysalis of her own with this film.
|
|
|
|
Find more info on The Caterpillar Wish with Bing Search
|
What you say
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
MOVIEFIX Tools
Get a snapshot of this week's movies straight to your inbox. Delivered each Thursday, the newsletter includes:
- New releases
- Film festivals
- Latest reviews
- News and gossip
- Competitions
If you have not already registered with yourMovies,
sign up
now to receive our weekly newsletter.
|
|
|
|
Slideshow: Movies with the same plotFeel like you've seen it all before? You have. Hollywood has a habit of recycling the same storylines over and over.
Slideshow: Susan Boyle's incredible transformationThe Scottish spinster from Britain's Got Talent has gone from drab to fab in the space of a year.
Slideshow: TV's craziest actor-to-character age differencesIn Glee, Cory Monteith plays 16-year-old high-schooler Finn Hudson... but how old is he really? His real age might shock you!
Emmys red carpetCheck out the hottest (and nottest) frocks from TV's night of nights! 
Fix AwardsHave your say in Australia's cheekiest awards — you decide the best and worst!
Cops L.A.C.Season 1
Hot PropertySeason 1
Doctor WhoSeason 1
Father's Day DiningThis year, instead of the socks, goofy golf club head covers and long-on-effort, short-on-taste breakfast in bed, why not treat Dad to a nice meal at a restaurant that knows how to look after a man when he deserves to be spoilt?
Drinks with DadWhether he's sipping on sangiovese at a vineyard, knocking back cold brews at his local, or enjoying a three-course lunch after a round of golf, the YourBars team have found something for every dad.
Summer Music FestivalsThe summer festival season is upon us; check out the latest line ups and announcements here.
Add a review
