Soft Fruit

I saw Soft Fruit for the second time to day and I have to say I loved it even more the second time round. This is the funniest movie I have seen in ages. There are many things that make this movie work. Firstly the realism of the family. They looked like they were a real family and that they belonged together. Not only that but it was their surroundings. They didn't live in the best house, they didn't have the best jobs, they didn't drive the best or the fastest cars. They were like real people living real lives. The good humor in this movie made it even more enjoyable. I would recommend this movie to anyone looking for a real story, with real people and real laughs.

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.

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.

This films captures the all-encompassing breadth of family life from love to brutality, and displays it in a no-punches way that touches the heart strings. As the four children return to share their dying mother's last weeks we see the old family conflicts, rivalries and tensions flare, as each struggles to gain a special relationship with their dying mother, played whimsically by Jeanie Drynan. The bad language may upset some prudes, but is all in the spirit of the movie. Russell Dykstra's winning perfomance as ex-con biker son Bo is one of the best I've seen for years. Sacher Horler is proving to be a major Australian talent. How nice to see a selection of females that aren't wafer thin!!

I saw Soft Fruit today and am still thrilled. The performances from the cast are wonderful, Jeanie Drynan in particular. The casting is amazing - these people actually ARE a family. Its touchingly sad and yet very very funny. One of the best Aussie films, in years. These people don't parade their Australianness like so many other local films do. Great script, great cast! Beats the pants off any thing else around!