Ellie & Abbie (& Ellie's Dead Aunt) 2020 Movie Review

『The Excitement and Courage of First Love, a Message of Love Across Generations』

🎥 Film Overview

🎬 Title: Ellie & Abbie (& Ellie's Dead Aunt) (2020)
🌍 Country: 🇦🇺 Australia
🎞️ Genre: Queer Romance / Comedy / Coming-of-Age
🗓️ Production: Monica Zanetti Productions, 2020, Feature Film
📢 Director: Monica Zanetti
🖋️ Screenplay: Monica Zanetti
📖 Original Work: Stage Play of the Same Name (2016)
📺 Platform: Various film festivals and streaming platforms

👩‍💼 Cast: Sophie Hawkshaw – Ellie
Zoe Terakes – Abbie
Julia Billington – Tara

🧩 Story Deep Dive (Spoilers)

🎭 A Teenage Girl Gathering the Courage to Ask Someone to Prom

On the surface, the film follows the familiar formula of a classic teen romantic comedy.

• Ellie: As the School Captain and top student, Ellie is determined to ask her crush, Abbie, to attend the graduation formal (Australia’s version of Prom) with her.

• The Ghostly Aunt Tara: After Ellie impulsively tries to come out to her mother, the ghost of her late lesbian aunt Tara—who died in the 1980s—suddenly appears. Declaring herself Ellie’s “fairy godmother”, Tara begins offering her outdated, old-fashioned dating advice straight out of the 1980s.

• Developing Relationships: Although Ellie finds Tara’s “help” more of a nuisance than a blessing, the process brings her closer to Abbie—the rebellious, free-spirited girl she admires. Meanwhile, Tara’s reappearance forces buried family secrets and long-held grief between Ellie and her mother Erica to surface.

👻 The Past’s Sacrifice and the Present’s Freedom

The film’s greatest strength lies in using the “ghost aunt” motif to explore the intergenerational differences and connections in queer experience.

• Queer History and Privilege: Tara, a queer rights activist in the 1980s, struggles to understand the comparatively open world of the 2020s that Ellie inhabits. Through their humorous clashes, the film delivers the message that “the freedoms you have now exist because the queer generations before you fought for them.” Ellie gradually realizes that her freedom to exist openly is a privilege built upon the sacrifices of those before her.

• Erica’s Trauma and Forgiveness: Tara’s presence doesn’t just influence Ellie’s romance—it also heals her mother’s unresolved grief. The truth behind Tara’s death (a tragic accident near a 1989 Pride march) and Erica’s guilt surrounding it become central to the story. This subplot reveals that a parent’s experience of having a queer child can be as emotionally complex and painful as the child’s coming out itself.

• Beyond Romance—A Sense of Community: As Ellie and Abbie’s love story intertwines with Tara’s tragic past, the narrative expands beyond a simple romance to embrace queer community solidarity. By rediscovering Tara’s life and honoring her legacy, Ellie gains a deeper sense of confidence—and in doing so, she grows both personally and romantically.

💧 A Delicate Balance of Humor and Depth

Director Monica Zanetti skillfully maintains a light, comedic tone without sacrificing emotional depth.

• Magical Realism: The fantastical element of the “dead aunt’s ghost” functions as an external manifestation of a teenage girl’s anxiety. Tara’s whimsical, almost casual presence allows the film to tackle heavy emotional themes with levity and warmth.

• Normalization of Modern Queer Romance: Ellie and Abbie’s story follows the conventions of a teen romantic comedy rather than a “queer struggle” narrative. Their biggest concern is “How do I ask her to the formal?”—not “How do I accept my sexuality?” This shift reflects how, for many Gen Z teens, queer identity has become a natural and accepted part of everyday life.

• The Charm of Its Australian Setting: The film’s use of “Formal” instead of “Prom” and its uniquely Australian cultural tone help distinguish it from American-centric queer cinema, creating a distinctly local voice within global queer storytelling.

🌟 A Joyful Stitching of Queer History

‘Ellie & Abbie (& Ellie's Dead Aunt)’ wraps the sweetness of first love in the playful energy of a ghost comedy, but beneath that humor lies a heartfelt tribute to the struggles and sacrifices of earlier queer generations. Though some side characters lack depth and certain comedic beats may feel outdated, its warm portrayal of intergenerational queer solidarity and empathy secures its place as a meaningful entry in queer cinema. It’s a film that offers hope and courage to younger audiences while providing healing and affirmation to older ones.

🎯 Personal Rating

💕 Love Scene Intensity: ♥
⭐ Rating: ★★★★★