There have been some appalling Australian films lately (with more to come), and Teesh and Trude looked like yet another lame study of profane losers made with the smell of an oily rag and a script that should never have left some film graduate’s computer.

And the young writer/director team indeed give us a study of profane losers. But it’s also the most caring, emotionally impactful story to come from an Australian production in ages.

Linda Cropper (Blackrock) and Susie Porter play two Perth mates stuck in a grinding cycle of suburban poverty, sour relationships and the seeming inability to rise above it.

It’s essentially a tale of hope — threads of desperation and depression for the two women weave a single awful day in their lives, and the anticipated redemption comes not as a touchy-feely Hollywood flourish but concrete emotional closure grounded in reality. Moments of rich comedy balance the lethargic pathos, thanks mostly to a very different role for Peter Phelps.

Teesh & Trude is an example to the rest of the local film scene — it shows what you can do with a fantastic script, powerhouse performances and very little money.

This entry was posted on Thursday, May 1st, 2003 at 12:00 am and is filed under Film, Film Reviews, Filmink. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.