Ellie & Abbie (& Ellie's Dead Aunt)

We see queer youths act like queer youths and we see the traumas without there being any fetishization. It is a funny, sweet and strange film in keeping with the high quality content that comes out of screen Australia. There is no hiding from the fear and pain that affects queer kids and also the past our community holds but it looks forward. The girls are quirky and unique and their realtionship is asperational without being unrealistic. It could have been longer and more elaborated but it was very fun to watch and one of the best ones, romantic comedies with drama, i have seen for a while.

I've been looking for positive queer stories since watching heartstopper and this one is really lovely. It doesn't have the budget of some of the others - but hopefully people will now start to see that LGBT content can be profitable and invest more in it. Apparently they shot this film in 10 days. So for that alone it's pretty much a triumph. The soundtrack and the script were also excellent. Would definitely recommend to queer teens!

Australian teen Ellie is struggling to ask her classmate Abbie to the formal. That's when her Fairy Godmother shows up. She's her gay aunt Tara who died before they ever met. Tara has all kinds of advice whether Ellie wants it or not.

This is cute with a moment of emotional reveal. Ellie is a bit amateurish but there is a sweetness in that. It's the awkwardness of puppy love, no matter the sexual orientation. Dead Aunt Tara tries her best to inject irreverence into this movie. Again, it's cute. In a Hollywood production, the lead would be more experienced and prettier. This feels more awkward and that's perfectly fine.

Ellie & Abbie (& Ellie's Dead Aunt) (2020) is an Australian film written and directed by Monica Zanetti.

This is a teen coming-out story, with a twist. Ellie (Sophie Hawkshaw) would like to ask Abbie (Zoe Terakes) to the formal dance. However, she can't quite work up the nerve to do it.

That's where Ellie's dead Aunt Tara (Julia Billington) enters the picture (literally). Ellie can see and hear Tara, and so can we, but no one else can. Tara not only wants to help--she insists on helping. It turns out that if you tell anyone you're lesbian--which Ellie does--and if you have a dead aunt who was lesbian--as Tara was--your dead aunt can return and help you.(Whimsical, but it works in this movie.)

This twist makes the film better than other movies of its type. What makes the movie great is the incredible work done by Julia Billington as Tara. She's a young actor who lights up the screen. It's worth seeing the movie just to watch her at work.

We saw this movie as part of the great ImageOut Rochester LGBTQ Film Festival. (Virtual this year.) The movie has a strong IMDb rating of 7.4. I rated it 8.

Definitely one for your teens to see. A genuine story, told with warmth, heart and some laughs. The characters truly express teen behaviour, eye rolls, stomping and all. Laughter and tears - one to watch for sure!