With New Zealand's funniest export leading the charge, alongside Australian screen veterans and emerging stars, Audrey is far from your average mother-daughter flick. Hitting cinemas nationwide on November 7, after impressing festival audiences with its acerbic humour, Audrey is a twisted, razor sharp film both gloriously absurd and strangely relatable. It's black comedy at its best, inspired by modern classics like Muriel's Wedding and Jennifer's Body.
So, what's the premise? Forgotten soap star and self-appointed Mother of the Year, Ronnie Lipsick (Jackie van Beek; The Breaker Upperers, The Office Australia) is trapped in a life of unfulfilled dreams and suburban monotony. With a stalled acting career due to an early pregnancy, a disengaged husband, and an unappreciative family, Ronnie's ambitions seem lost. However, when an accident puts her eldest daughter, Audrey (Josephine Blazier; True History of the Kelly Gang, Fires), into a convenient coma, Ronnie seizes the opportunity to step into Audrey's shoes and pursue the stardom she was made for.
Also exploiting Audrey's absence for their own gain, Ronnie's husband Cormack (Jeremy Lindsay Taylor; Heartbreak High, Puberty Blues, The Dry) reawakens his long lost mojo and lust for life with a job producing Christian themed porn, whilst daughter Nora (Hannah Diviney; Latecomers) revels in the attention from Audrey's friends and boyfriend. Everybody's life seems better without Audrey in it - until the inevitable chaos ensues once she wakes up, of course.
The quick witted script is paired with an uplifting soundtrack, bright and bold costuming and elaborate set pieces for a sensory spectacle. It's a darkly hilarious family fiasco with a uniquely Australian brand of humour that's absurdly entertaining.
Audrey In cinemas 7 November
