Vacant Possession

Pamela Rabe plays Tessa, a deeply disturbed young woman who has returned to her vacant family home on Botany Bay after the death of her mother.

Tessa' past comes back in all the clarity she'd run away from as a teenager, fleeing a violent father and circumstances she couldn't cope with. Now that she's back in the empty house, memories come flooding back and she reunites with her sister and indigenous neighbours she knew in her youth. Tessa's father is still alive and she must face the prospect of his return to the house to sort out his estranged wife's possessions and affairs.

Although much of Tessa's time at the house reveals a difficult upbringing and chaotic life in her youth, by the end of the narrative you feel that she has a future now, that she has dealt with her past.

Terrific acting by Pamela Rabe - a much underrated actor - and the rest of the cast. The brooding location on Botany Bay contributes to the dark mood and emotional feelings Tessa cannot escape 8/10