Bubblehead Productions
Wishbaby
is a superbly made adult fairytale set within a contemporary urban landscape
where crime and drugs abound and everyday life is beset with difficulties.
Maxine
is a young black teenager who does the best she can. Her mother goes missing
for weeks at a time and her brother Colin, a bike courier, has a drug problem,
they live in an apartment illegally created in an office building. The floor
above is an illegal brothel which is constantly flooding the building with
noise. Maxine is constantly skipping school and social services is after her.
The
region where Maxine lives is filled with violence and when she sees an
eccentric old lady, Eve, being attacked by a gang, she rescues her. Maxine
accompanies Eve home and finds she lives in a very a strange ramshackle old
house, the centre of her life is a Wishbaby. The secret of how to make a Wishbaby
was passed to Eve when she was a child by her Governess, a strange and
domineering woman with occult powers.
Eve
decides to pass onto Maxine the secret of the Wishbaby, however, it seems the
secret was passed to Eve and Eve alone and this unauthorized transmission of
knowledge releases the astral shell of her Governess who returns to protect the
secret of the ancient craft. As Maxine uses the Wishbaby to “remove” the
nuisance of her neighbours and to bring her mother back home, she realizes too
late that the power of the Wishbaby is not something to be taken lightly. Her
mother returns but is very different from when she left...
Wishbaby
is a fascinating modern fairytale with a razor sharp edge. It is a fascinating
mixture of the old pagan myth of “spells gone wrong” and fairies who fulfil
human wishes but not quite as we may wish – all with a modern twist. It’s
portrayal of modern urban life is brutally honest and authentic and this is
also helped with an excellent score. Eve is a superbly eccentric and bizarre
old lady and the pagan elements of the Wishbabys creation are nicely handled.
The careful development of the characters, an excellent plot and a powerful
climax make this a very impressive and indeed moody film.
Trailer: http://www.wishbaby.com/html/trailers.html
This review will appear in Volume 2:1
(2009) of the digital and print edition of Synergy Magazine.
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