AUSXIP Renee O'Connor - Words Unspoken

REVIEW BY MARYD

Renee premiered her new short film which she wrote and directed at the 2009 Xena Convention. It would be very true to say that those in attendance were spellbound and moved by the film. It's not a light hearted movie. It's short, sharp and deeply emotional.

The movie is about a man who takes his father on one last journey to fulfil his father's dying wish. I sat there and was absolutely spellbound by the depth of this story. Without giving away the ending (it would
be a disservice to Renee and the rest of her team to do so), I thought it was very powerful. The theme of parental abuse and the repercussions to the abused is a powerful statement about how the characters handle the betrayal of trust.

Renee has grown as a director (her acting is as fantastic as ever) and her writing was so deep. I was very impressed by her writing. It was powerful and it made you feel; that is the goal of any writer - if your reader or in this case your audience has a reaction to what they see, then you have achieved your goal.

Many in the audience could relate to Charles, the main character played by Jed Sura, and the feelings brought to the surface
by this film was raw and heartfelt. Renee's son, Miles, was also in this film as Charles as a young boy. He did a very good job in
his first acting role.

I found it personally very difficult to watch and yet couldn't look away. It touched a raw nerve that stayed with me hours after I had
seen it.

Words Unspoken will force you to question, to debate and to feel deeply.