Having dropped out of university, she spent some time in Europe then moved to Melbourne, where she supports herself with casual work we don’t hear much about. She’s also recently broken up with her boyfriend, though again the full story takes a while to emerge.
Somerville films all of this in a distinctive, sometimes disconcerting manner, largely in wide shot – using long lenses to single Mattana and Gan out from crowds and overlaying the action with classical music, while occasionally zooming in or using close-ups for emphasis.
Director Sophie Somerville (centre) with actors Melissa Gan (left) and Emmanuelle Mattana at Fern Gully Health and Wellbeing Garden, which features in Fwends.Credit: Luis Enrique Ascui
The combination of intimacy and distance mirrors how the characters are both open and guarded – nor is the forced quality of the whimsy entirely accidental. For all the cutesy touches, Fwends is a sad film, hiding its sadness beneath a determined display of high spirits.
If the heroines appear bent on regressing to childhood, who can blame them? While they may be more fortunate than others in their generation, they’re not wrong to think that being a young adult in today’s world means facing up to a wide range of problems without evident solutions.
The oceans are rising even faster than inner-city rents, men and women seem as far as ever from equality or mutual understanding and, especially late at night, it can be hard to believe in anything at all.
Friendship at least is some consolation. But in the end, Somerville is honest enough not to promise that it’s all going to be OK.
Fwends is in cinemas from Thursday.
Find out the next TV, streaming series and movies to add to your must-sees. Get The Watchlist delivered every Thursday.
