Fifteen year old Thomas Mollison (Rhys Wakefield) moves to a new place with his parents (Toni Collette, Erik Thomson) and his autistic brother Charlie (Luke Ford). Thomas is awkward and embarrassed about his brother. Charlie runs into Jackie Masters (Gemma Ward)'s home to use the toilet while she's in the shower. Maggie's pregnancy gets difficult and she has to stay in the hospital. With their father away with the Army much of the time, Thomas becomes stuck taking care of Charlie. Jackie befriends Thomas and Charlie.
Thomas is a whiny embarrassed teenager. That can be very off-putting. I can't blame the character but it keeps the movie from being a lovable coming-of-age story. It's a tougher more painful thing. It comes with poo and all. Gemma Ward injects a lightness to the movie. It does miss Toni Collette for long stretches. Her absence is keenly felt. The movie drags on a little too long after the climatic blowup but it's still a compelling family drama.
Thomas is a whiny embarrassed teenager. That can be very off-putting. I can't blame the character but it keeps the movie from being a lovable coming-of-age story. It's a tougher more painful thing. It comes with poo and all. Gemma Ward injects a lightness to the movie. It does miss Toni Collette for long stretches. Her absence is keenly felt. The movie drags on a little too long after the climatic blowup but it's still a compelling family drama.