We’ve All Been There

There are many films out there that make you shed a little tear because they are so desperately sad – and gaining the sympathy of an audience to that extent is a pretty difficult trick to pull off.

Perhaps even harder in terms of film-making is the ability to get your audience all lachrymose because the film has warmed their hearts so much.  Well, call me a big softy but We’ve All Been There by the Australian creative collective Truce Films, made me reach for the happy hanky – and all in just a little over seven minutes.

The recession, triple or quadruple or whatever dip we’re on at the moment has hit everywhere, even the hinterlands of Australia.  There, Jess, eight months pregnant and so far behind on her rent she has received an eviction notice, asks for more hours at the diner at which she works in a desperate bid to make ends meet.

Her request is not received with much sympathy by her manager but when an old lady arrives for a late night supper, a connection is made that will impact the two in ways they both could never have imagined.

We’ve All Been There won two awards at the Tropfest 2013 festival, Best Film and a very deserved Best Actress for Laura Wheelwright who plays Jess (who you may have seen as Electra in Underground: The Julian Assange Story).  Stalwarts of Australian film and TV Penne Hackforth-Jones and Ditch Davey play the lady visiting the diner and Matt the mechanic.  The film was written and directed by Nicholas Clifford.

You might well say you saw the end coming (I did but I didn’t and you will see what I mean when you watch the movie) but what’s that at the corner of your eye?