Thoughtful cinematography, potent acting and a wintry, rugged location are not enough to push The Caterpillar Wish forward from the ranks of the trans-Tasman "teen girl's search for identity" films (Somersault, Peaches, In My Father's Den). Starring the talented Victoria Thaine as Emily, a 17 year old who longs for a father, The Caterpillar Wish is woven around an ensemble of characters harbouring secrets in the South Australian coastal town of Robe. Adultery, suicide, family estrangement, teen pregnancy; each character inches forward while struggling against the past.
Written and directed by first-timer Sandra Sciberras, the film demonstrates her skill at extracting powerful performances and offers promise of future success. Unfortunately, it fails to add anything fresh to the genre. Notable were Susie Porter, Emily's mother Susan, a topless barmaid who casually bares her body but exposes her soul to no one; Robert Mammone as Stephen a damaged fisherman; and Wendy Hughes playing Elizabeth, Stephen's frozen sister whose crumpled face reflects her internal anguish. All the characters undergo metamorphosis and, in a closing montage, each emerges to stretch their new and fragile wings in the summer sun.
I left the cinema pondering the film's tag-line, "This winter, one wish will change everything". Sadly, I think the only thing that viewers will wish is that the story had sufficient substance to stay with them longer than the drive home.
