Hey, Hey It's Esther Blueburger
Keisha Castle-Hughes and Toni Collette Head a Quirky Australian Film
Terrific acting by Danielle Catanzariti, Keisha Castle-Hughes and Toni Collette counters a shaky script in this quirky Australian underdog tale
Hey, Hey It’s Esther Blueburger is a new Australian film which focuses on young teenager Esther Blueburger (played by newcomer Danielle Cantanzariti), an outcast at her posh private school and after thought amongst her dysfunctional Jewish family. When she strikes up a friendship with rebellious public school student Suni (Keisha-Castle Hughes, TheWhale Rider) and her hip single mother Mary (Toni Collette, The Sixth Sense), Esther begins to come out of her shell whilst going through the trials and pitfalls of adolescence
Debut feature film by writer/director Cathy Randall
Cathy Randall first began working on the script in 2002, and the strength of her writing earned her numerous accolades including a scholarship to the Los Angeles Film School's Feature Development Program, where she continued to work on the film with the intention of creating an unconventional teen/coming of age/underdog movie, an aspiration she has successfully met albeit with mixed results.
A different look at teen life in multi-cultural Australia
Randall touches upon a number of important subjects that directly effect today’s adolescence. The ever increasing sexualization of modern society and the effect it has on its children is met head on (yet handled tastefully), with one scene in particular certain to have people talking about how far today’s generation of kids will go for acceptance amongst their peers. Also, the collision of Esther’s religious and secular worlds makes for interesting viewing, mainly due to the fact that many filmmakers seem to side step the issue of religion in regards to a child’s upbringing.
Too quirky for its own good
At times Randall pushes the quirky angle too far, with several odd scenes and bizarre character traits almost running the film aground while contradicting its realistic approach to teen life, and adding further confusion to the films uneven tone are a number of predictable and ridiculous plot developments, including several scenes when the film comes dangerously close to becoming a clichéd teen flick (which is a shame, because it is much better than that.)
A great cast led by Danielle Catanzariti
What saves the film during its messy patches are its terrific cast, especially 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, but some restraint during key scenes would have made of world of difference between a very good movie and a great film.
