Caterpillar Wish

THIS WINTER, ONE WISH WILL CHANGE EVERYTHING

Feature film,

Developed and produced in association with the Australian Film Commission Produced with the assistance of the South Australian Film Corporation Distributed in Australia and New Zealand by Palace Films.

Website: Caterpillar Wish

TownAbout the film:

A Coastal Township Full of Secrets

Megan Simpson Huberman the director, IndiVision Project Lab, Australian Film Commission, describes the film as follows:

“The Caterpillar Wish is so moving because it’s the story of ordinary people who have given up on the hope that their life could change for the better. They’ve given up on love, on marriage, on starting again. But one young girl still believes that life can be better, and she drags all these adults, kicking and screaming, to the point where their lives have to change, for better or for worse. And in the end they all grow, and begin new relationships, or get out of destructive old ones, and I think that’s a story that people want to hear.”

Crew:

Cast:


Synopsis:

Emily is a 17-year-old-school girl growing up in a picturesque, coastal tourist town. She lives with her mother Susan, a topless waitress who restores furniture in her spare time to make ends meet.

Emily never knew her father and her grandparents moved away after Susan shamed them by falling pregnant at 15.

Susan has a brittle exterior that masks her sensitivity and vulnerability. She is mistrustful of men and Emily is the only beneficiary of her love; at times they seem more like best friends than mother and daughter.

But it’s not enough for Emily, who is desperate to find the father she knows so little about. “He was a tourist,” her mother tells her. “He wandered into town and out again, a tom cat.”

Emily, unknown to her mother, photographs tourists hoping to find a likeness to herself. She is also secretly involved with Joel, the 17-year-old son of Elizabeth and Carl.

One day, the owner of the local second hand bookshop finds a bible with an inscription bearing Susan and Emily’s names. It’s from her long-lost grand parents. The bible fires Emily’s curiosity and she grows determined to find her grand parents and confront them about her mother’s past. She takes them by surprise, when she arrives unannounced at their house. Her grand father regards her with contempt but her grand mother is charmed and filled with regret.

Emily is fond of and seeks guidance from Stephen, who runs a boat maintenance business at the harbour. She attempts to match-make Stephen and her mother. Their mutual attraction is obvious, but both are locked in their own pasts and unable to move on.

Stephen lost his wife and baby daughter in a tragic murder/suicide and remains guilt-ridden over their deaths.

His sister Elizabeth, the mother of Joel and wife of the local police chief Carl, bitterly disapproves of Susan.

Stephen and Elizabeth are from an affluent family, their wealth is evident in Elizabeth’s grand, Victorian residence. But behind the grandeur, Elizabeth is locked in an unhappy marriage with a husband who has been cheating on her for years. When the evidence of Carl’s adultery becomes overwhelming, she throws him out of the family home.

During her second visit to her grand parents, Emily is told that her mother, as a teenage schoolgirl, had a year-long affair with none other than the local police chief, Carl.

Shocked at this revelation, she breaks off her relationship with Joel, accuses her mother of lying to her about the tom cat and runs away.

Joel follows Emily to a motel on the outskirts of town, where she reveals that they have been in an incestuous relationship.

Carl, recently ejected from the family home and in search of a bed for the night, stumbles across the young couple at the motel and reaches the obvious conclusions.

He strikes Emily across the face and Joel attacks him in retribution.

Witnessing the fight, the motel proprietor alerts Stephen of the teenagers’ whereabouts and moments later, both Stephen and Susan are speeding towards the motel.

In grief and rage, Carl drives off, narrowly missing Emily, but knocking Joel off his bike as he swerves to avoid Stephen’s car.

Beside his son’s limp body, Carl lashes out at Susan for permitting Joel and Emily’s relationship to flourish.

Susan sets the record straight, insisting that Carl is not Emily’s father.

Joel, meanwhile, is rushed to hospital.

The film closes with Emily and Joel reunited. After months of reflection, Susan and Stephen have also moved on, discarding some of the bitterness that kept them apart.

(Taken from Offical Website)

Still Pictures:

Philip as CarlPhilip as Carl

There of more stills to be seen on the official website link at top of page.

Reviews:

The Caterpillar Wish (rating 4 ½ Stars)

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.

Reviewed by Mark Beirne, June 2006, yourMovies.com, Australia


"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 (rating 3 ½ Stars)

Review by Margaret Pomeranz, 7th June 2006, ABC At The Movies, Australia

The Australian Film Commission instituted a project called Indivision to develop and fund low-budget features.

The first of these to hit our cinemas is The Caterpillar Wish. Set in the coastal town of Robe in South Australia, it's about 17 year old Emily, (Victoria Thaine), who lives with her single mother Susan, (Susie Porter). Emily is quietly desperate to identify her unknown father.

When she's led to believe that the local policeman Carl, (Philip Quast), may be the father she craves, it is devastating for her relationship with Carl's son Joel, (Khan Chittenden).

Wendy Hughes is beginning to suspect her husband's infidelities. Her brother Stephen, (Robert Mammone) would like to establish something with Susan but he has demons to deal with first.

The Caterpillar Wish deals with elemental themes - the question of our identity, where we came from, and the relationships that continue to shape who we are. Writer/director Sandra Sciberras charts Emily's journey economically but emotionally. In many ways Emily is the grown-up, Susan the adolescent and the two fine actresses bring a poignant reality to each of their characters.

The supporting cast is really solid with Khan Chittenden very impressive as Joel. Perhaps the film ties things up a bit too neatly at the end, but resolutions are made, truths are told and believed.

This is yet another Australian film this year that is adding to the credibility of our industry.


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