Everything In Between – REVIEW
Image: Jordan Dulieu in Everything in Between. Image: film still
By MARTIN FABINYI
Everything In Between is a sweet movie infused with feelings of life and death, with an ending that is anything but rom-com.
Jay, played with a brooding intensity by Jordan Dulieu (My Pet Dinosaur, The Legend of the Five, The Ninth Order) is brought back (literally) from a cliff top where he’s contemplating ending it all. Riddled with massive self-doubt, and a large dollop of parental infighting, Jay doesn’t know what to do with his life or his possible death.
It’s only when he meet-cutes Liz (Freya Benjamin) that his life seems to have some meaning. Liz, who loves and imbues life, is a new age traveller from San Francisco, but when she is diagnosed with a life-threatening disease Jay has to deal with his pain, her possible death, and parents (Gigi Edgley& Martin Crewes) who are pulled together in helping Jay put his life back together and confront grief.
Everything In Between is a small film with a big heart. Jordan Dulieu is perfectly cast as a teen who can’t stand being himself in a sensitive and restrained performance, while Freya Benjamin, in her feature film debut, carries the weight of her impending death with just the right darkness and light. Both Gigi Edgley and Martin Crewes are terrific as the warring couple who come together to heal Jay.
Filmmaker Nadi Sha’s film hovers close to the teenage angst genre, but the performances of the four characters and the understated dialogue create a film about the essential need to live life. Both Jordan and Freya are certainly destined for great things. It’s hoped they don’t jump ship to Hollywood too soon.
The cinematic feel of Sydney’s water makes this a good-looking movie. Hopefully it will find an audience in Australia. It certainly deserves to.
★★★★
In cinemas October 20
