Written and directed by Sandra Sciberras, Caterpillar Wish, her second feature, is yet another coming of age story.
Set in an idyllic seaside town Emily – Victoria Thaine – is on a quest to find her father. Her mother Susan – Susie Porter – has always maintained he was a tourist but Emily's convinced otherwise. Believing that he is a local, she has been photographing all the males to find a resemblance.
When Emily is given her mother's old bible, with an inscription from her estranged grandparents, she decides to embark on a search for the truth about her identity. This
journey not only tests her relationships with her mother, but her father figure Stephen – Robert Mammone – and her boyfriend Joel – Khan Chittenden.
Caterpillar Wish is beautifully photographed with many strong performances. The chemistry between Susie Porter and Victoria Thaine is right on the money whilst veterans like Wendy Hughes and Elspeth Ballantyne show much intensity in their roles.
Despite its serious subject matter, some of its edginess is lost due to its soapy undertones. Having said all that, it is traversing such familiar territory that you could be mistaken for thinking that you have seen it all before, and you probably have as Australian cinema appears to be bogged down in a glut of coming of age films at the moment.
