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Directed by Jack Johnston | 150 minutes | MA 15+ | Melbourne Premiere |
5:30pm Friday, 15 May | Balam Balam Place - Cinema 4 | Buy Tickets | Buy Passes
A micro-budget road movie about dreaming, dying, and living with other people, from an emerging country Victoria auteur
A young man, Shane, tries to kill himself by jumping in front of a train. His friend, Lily, rushes to save him but she's shaken by how close he came to succeeding. Lily knows a place in the country that might help Shane overcome his demons – in fact, it's somewhere she used to call home. Shane's wild best friend Astrid is skeptical but she insists on coming with them on a road trip to the utopian Eden, a journey that will profoundly impact all of their lives.
Director Jack Johnston grew up in a place like the fictional Eden, where a communal style of living can be nurturing but also oppressive. He brings a nuanced approach to this engrossing, funny and ultimately very moving story of three young people struggling to find their place in the world.
A novelistic road movie made in sun-dappled country Victoria for only $9,000, Everything Grows in Eden creates a richly detailed world in which to explore what it really means to build community.
Screens with a live Q&A with director Jack Johnston.
SIMILAR: The Endless, Captain Fantastic, Paris, Texas
"Embodies the BUFF spirit: resourceful, specific, ambitious, urgent, thorny. It has provoked productive conversations among the programmers because it offers a lot to grapple with." - Kai Perrignon, BUFF Head Programmer
"At a time when 'community' is the buzzword of every left-leaning organisation and online space, Everything Grows in Eden grapples with what radical community-building can actually look like. Director Jack Johnson has a unique perspective as someone who has lived in a commune but left to pursue an artistic career in the big city. His insights about the struggles and joys of communal living are beautifully wrought in this heartfelt drama." - Lucinda Mason, BUFF Programmer
CONTENT WARNING: Discussions of suicice
Country: Australia
Year: 2026
Language: English