November 29, 2023

Maggie Blinco turns in quite a touching performance here as the put-upon "Liebe" who has lived for fifty years with the failed and embittered musician "Duncan" (Glenn Shorrock). Frustrated, he decides that he wants to release a new album and so gets in touch with his old, now wealthy, bandmate "Justin" (John Gregg) who is married to her long-time but now estranged pal "Christine" (Belinda Giblin). A dinner between the couples goes pear-shaped ver… read the rest.

Maggie Blinco turns in quite a touching performance here as the put-upon "Liebe" who has lived for fifty years with the failed and embittered musician "Duncan" (Glenn Shorrock). Frustrated, he decides that he wants to release a new album and so gets in touch with his old, now wealthy, bandmate "Justin" (John Gregg) who is married to her long-time but now estranged pal "Christine" (Belinda Giblin). A dinner between the couples goes pear-shaped very quickly, but not before "Liebe" realises that now might be a good time for her to resurrect her dress-making career. Luckily, she alights on the young and supportive "Hamish" (Hoa Xuande) who encourages her to try and make a go of it. Newly empowered, she leaves her over-bearing partner and initially moves in with "Christine" before that all turns sour and she ends up in a garage under a house full of messy but kindly Chinese exchange students. Can she make a go of it, independently, after all these years? Xuande also delivers quite amiably here as this story gathers a gentle pace that illustrates well just how a bit of spirit and determination - and a little bit of commercial savvy - can overcome the routine and safe aspects of life when you are elderly and emotionally trapped. Sadly, the rest of the acting - especially from Shorrock - is pretty wooden, and there is a little too much dialogue that goes nowhere before a predictably valedictory ending that is optimistic and reconciliatory in a way that I felt rather undermined the thrust of the story. Still, it's a simple story that is worth telling, and watching.

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