Soft Fruit

"Soft Fruit" is a bittersweet Aussie flick about a terminally ill mother who summons her adult children to her bedside for her final days. Anything but a downer, this cross-genre flick shows us humor, poignancy, and quirkiness as we watch a barely functional and functional barely family deal with the passing of its matriarch. An enjoyable film, a critics darling, and a winner of some fringe awards, "Soft Fruit" is a worthwhile watch for those into flicks about working class Aussies.

There is a moment in the film between Russell Dykstras character and the father, Russell Dykstra strips naked, and then his father does the same to get him in the car, and they kind of stare at each other for about 3 seconds, and for that moment in the film, something magical happens, but it was a real connected moment between them and I think it made the film what it is. Just that moment.

There is a moment in the film between Russell Dykstras character and the father, Russell Dykstra strips naked, and then his father does the same to get him in the car, and they kind of stare at each other for about 3 seconds, and for that moment in the film, something magical happens, but it was a real connected moment between them and I think it made the film what it is. Just that moment.

Christina Andreef's short films have always shown great promise for a feature film. I was worried that she might fall victim to the quirky Aussie trade mark of filmmaking and create jokes around another dysfunctional family gathering for one last flight. But she pulled it off! SOFT FRUIT tells the tale of a blue collar family in the industrial area of Port Kembla who gather for their dying mother. Normally families come together after the death of a parent but in this instant the mother is still alive and part of the fun as each child comes back home with a suitcase full of problems and past confrontations. And what a joy it is to sit back and watch a family as screwed up as your own. There are a few questionable moments but the film manages to pull itself together in a tight 102 minute package.

This movie was very moving and one of those movies that makes you think about life and the choices that you make. In my opinion Soft Fruit did not get as much attention as it deserved and was over looked. Jeanie Drynan is a great actress and has starred in such movies as Muriel's wedding. In Muriel's wedding Jeanie's character was such a sad character to follow but you could truly feel her pain and struggles. The line up in Soft Fruit is fantastic and the acting is also believable and enjoyable. I still can't find a copy of Soft Fruit and have not seen it since the year it was released. It speaks volumes when you see a movie and still think about it 12 years later. I can't even find it on Netflix but, if you are fortunate to run across this movie you should watch it.

I saw this movie in Turin Film-festival last November, and I hope it's coming soon on "regular" screens. I was emotionally moved because story and cast remembered me the true story of a friend of mine, whose mom died a few times ago. The plot escape from gender clichés and the characters are round and well performed. Andreef shows her skillness in directing, learned collaborating with Jane Campion for several times. But she also shows how far their views can be distant, moreover if you compare this movie to Campion's last one.