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Hey,
Hey It's Esther Blueburger is a
coming of age/ rite of passage / lose of innocence black comedy,
which is told in an unconventional manner. The film stars Danielle
Catanzariti as Esther Blueburger, a social outcast at her rigid
private school and an afterthought amongst her dysfunctional Jewish
family. When she strikes up a friendship with the rebellious Sunni
(Keisha Castle Hughes) and her hipster mother Mary (Toni Collette),
Esther begins to feel the effects of adolescence whilst leading
a double life posing as a Swedish exchange student at a local public
school.
Writer/director Cathy Randal had developed the script for this film
over a number of years. The strength of her writing earned her a
scholarship to the Los Angeles Film School's Feature Development
Program, and a nomination from the Australian Writer's Guild for
best un-produced screenplay. With this film, Randal touches on a
number of key and often taboo subjects. The collision of the lead
characters religious and secular worlds makes for interesting viewing,
and the increased sexualization of young adolescence is met head
on, yet handled tastefully. Also, parental responsibility (which
is a key factor to the lead characters developing maturity) is approached
skilfully and represented by two different parties: Esther's parents
who are extremely controlling and Sunni's mother who is to lax.
However, despite (or maybe because of) Randal's many years of toiling
over this screenplay, there are numerous flaws. Several moments
has the film coming dangerously close to becoming a clichéd
teen flick (which is a shame since it is much better than that),
and a number of predictable and ridiculous plot developments rob
the film of its ability to become one of the better Australian films
seen in some time, while several odd scenes (a very messy dinner
sequence) and bizarre character traits (Esther pleading into a toilet
bowl for God to save her) feel forced and almost runs the film aground.
But what does keep it afloat during these messy patches are the
terrific performances by its cast, especially from young actress
Danielle Catanzariti who is exceptional in her film debut, and more
than holds up to Oscar nominees Keisha Castle Hughes and Toni Collette,
who are both very good.
A resolute if not erratic film, Hey, Hey It's Esther Blueburger
does leave an impression with its imaginative and brave approach
to a stock standard story.
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