Teesh And Trude

Teesh (Susie Porter), who has a son, Kenny, and Trude, (Linda Cropper), share a small flat in the suburbs of Perth. Both women are unemployed and defeated. They smoke too many cigarettes, drink too much beer, watch too many TV soaps.

Trude\'s husband left her years before with her two kids; she now has an oafish boyfriend (Peter Phelps). Teesh\'s man is Les (Jacob Allen), who works in the local supermarket and wants to marry her. But her abusive father (Bill McCluskey) is just out of prison and complicating her life.

Teesh & Trude was shot on video at Murdoch University where New Zealand director Melanie Rodriga teaches (Rodrgia made a couple of Kiwi films in the 80s, Trial Run and Send A Gorilla).

The film was obviously produced on the most minimal budget, and its theatrical origins are very obvious, but, despite these limitations, the film impresses because of the excellent acting.

Both Porter and Cropper are painfully good as these rather wretched people who are only just managing to make ends meet. This is a depiction of severely limited lives, but the film does end on a note of hope.