The Returned

Director: Ben Pfeiffer

Vianne, a feisty – almost 70yo has received a terminal cancer diagnosis. Her oldest child Connie, a detached and somewhat hard-headed individual decides to be her mother’s sole carer. The two younger children, Quinn and Amal, both come to keep vigil as Vianne’s passing looms. Each child has a different way of grieving. For Connie, denial and pragmatism allow her to hold grief at arms length. Quinn, a single gay father to Lachie is more of a quiet observer – who possesses an emotional maturity and innate ability to hold space for his mother. Spirited and passionate Amal, adopted from Sri Lanka as a baby, has feelings of abandonment which suddenly begin to intermingle with the imminent loss, while his devoted partner Maddie, does everything in her power to support him. As Vianne tackles her impending death with humour and humility, the onus falls on each child to face the inevitable and choose presence and peace, or letting this milestone moment pass them by.