Caterpillar Wish (2006)

22% want to see it
(508 ratings)

A teenage girl from the coastal town of Robe in South Australia realizes that hoping for change just isn't enough as she sets out in search of the father she never knew. Seventeen year old Emily (Victoria Thane) lives with her single mother Susan (Susie Porter) in a sleepy seaside town. Emily never… More A teenage girl from the coastal town of Robe in South Australia realizes that hoping for change just isn't enough as she sets out in search of the father she never knew. Seventeen year old Emily (Victoria Thane) lives with her single mother Susan (Susie Porter) in a sleepy seaside town. Emily never knew her father, a man her mother claims was just a drifting summer tourist who wandered into town one day before disappearing without a trace. Susan's devoutly religious parents were mortified when their daughter got pregnant at the age of fifteen, and ever since she had Emily she's been struggling to forget the past. Kindly local Stephen lost his wife and baby daughter in a tragic accident, and remains haunted by the incident to this very day. In Stephen Emily sees a surrogate father, and in Emily Stephen sees the daughter his baby daughter could have grown into. Though Stephen's sister Elizabeth is married to local policeman Carl, she suspects that her husband is currently engaged in a clandestine extramarital affair. Could Carl be Emily's real father? If so, what would that mean for Emily's relationship with Elizabeth and Carl's teenage son Joel? Perhaps by summoning some much needed courage, Emily can bring about the change in her life that she so desperately craves. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

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Rating, Runtime: Unrated, 1 hr. 30 min.
Directed By: Sandra Sciberras
Genres: Drama

Critic Reviews

Megan Lehmann, Hollywood Reporter
While intelligent performances from the luminous Porter (Better Than Sex) and newcomer Thaine make their unconventional mother-daughter relationship feel thoroughly organic, the script finally collapses under the weight of a narrative pile-up.
Luke Y. Thompson, OC Weekly
A well-done movie all-around -- but what teenager today uses film in her camera?
Urban Cinefile Critics, Urban Cinefile
As a character study, Sciberras' film tantalises, but the storytelling lets it down. With its gentle lilting soundtrack, the mood is the most tangible strength of the film. I wish I liked it more.