Lilian's Story

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Lilian's Story
Directed by	Jerzy Domaradzki
Based on	novel by Kate Grenville
Starring	Toni Collette Ruth Cracknell Barry Otto
Music by	Cezary Skubiszewski
Release date	1996 (1996)
Country	Australia
Language	English
Box office	A$524,526 (Australia)^[1]

Lilian's Story is a 1996 Australian film based on a 1985 novel by Australian author Kate Grenville, which was inspired by the life of Bea Miles, a famous Sydney nonconformist.^[2]^[3] The film stars Ruth Cracknell and Toni Collette as Lilian and her younger self, respectively, alongside Barry Otto. Cracknell had been a Shakespearean actress of the stage for many years.

Plot

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Lilian Singer has been institutionalised for a long 40 years by her father. Her Aunt Kitty and her brother, John eventually secure her release, upon which Lilian tries to find her place in the world, against an urban Sydney backdrop. Through a retelling of her back story, we learn how Lilian’s current circumstances came about. And through her rediscovery of the world, Lilian shows us it is never too late to start again - even when you march to the beat of your own drum.

Cast

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Toni Collette as Young Lilian Singer
Ruth Cracknell as Lilian Singer
Barry Otto as John Singer
Anne-Louise Lambert as Mother
John Flaus as Frank
Essie Davis as Zara
Matt Doran as Johnny
Jeff Truman as Head Orderly
Kate Agnew as May
Fiona Press as Ruby
Susie Lindeman as Jewel
Fiona Mahl as Alma
Rachael Maza as Shade
Bob Maza as Last TaxI Driver
David Argue as Spruiker
Maggie Kirkpatrick
Jacqueline Kott as Op Shop Owner^[4]

Reception

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Variety's review of the picture commended the acting and called it "a touching saga of an eccentric but tenacious woman who’s haunted by demons from her troubled past."^[5]

Toni Collette won the Australian Film Institute award for supporting actress for her performance as the young Lilian in this film;^[6] the film was also nominated for best score.

References

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^ "Australian Films at the Australian Box Office", Film Victoria Archived 9 February 2014 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved 12 November 2012
^ "Lilian's Story" at Kate Grenville's website. Retrieved 13 November 2012
^ "Interview with JERZY DOMARADSKI", Signet, 1 May 1996. Retrieved 18 November 2012
^ IMDb Retrieved 9 January 2024.
^ David Stratton, "Review: 'Lilian’s Story'" 10 March 1996.
^ John Hartl, "`Lilian's Story,' a favorite at film festival, goes to tape", Seattle Times, 9 June 2000.

External links

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Lilian's Story at IMDb
Lilian's Story at Oz Movies

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