Nisha Rathode (Editor)

Annies Coming Out

Updated on
Edit
Like
Comment
Share on FacebookTweet on TwitterShare on LinkedInShare on Reddit
7
/
10
1
Votes
Alchetron7
7
1 Ratings
100
90
80
71
60
50
40
30
20
10
Rate This

Rate This

Director
  
Gil Brealey

Music director
  
Simon Walker

Language
  
English

6.9/10
IMDb

Genre
  
Drama

Duration
  

Country
  
Australia

Annies Coming Out movie poster

Writer
  
Chris Borthwick
,
Rosemary Crossley
,
Anne McDonald
,
John Patterson

Release date
  
27 September 1984 (Australia)23 November 1984 (UK)29 March 1985 (USA)

Initial release
  
September 20, 1984 (Australia)

Screenplay
  
Chris Borthwick, John Patterson

Cast
  
Angela Punch McGregor
(Jessica Hathaway),
Drew Forsythe
(David),
Liddy Clark
(Sally Clements),
Monica Maughan
(Vera Peters),
Philippa Baker
(Sister Waterman),
Tina Arhondis
(Annie O'Farrell)

Similar movies
  
Touched by Love (1980), Door to Door (2002), My Left Foot (1989), Gaby: A True Story (1987), Rory OShea Was Here (2004)

Cult aussie classics annie s coming out 1984


Annie's Coming Out (also known as A Test of Love) is a 1984 Australian drama film directed by Gil Brealey. It is based on the non-fiction book Annie's Coming Out by disability activists Rosemary Crossley and Anne McDonald. The book tells the story of McDonald's early life in a government institution for people with severe disabilities and her subsequent release.

Contents

Plot

Annie O'Farrell (based on Anne McDonald) is a 13-year-old girl with cerebral palsy who is unable to communicate and has been living in a government institution from an early age. Jessica Hathaway (based on Rosemary Crossley) is a therapist who learns to communicate with Annie using an alphabet board and comes to believe that although physically disabled, Annie is not intellectually impaired. When Annie turns 18, Jessica begins a legal fight to get her released.

Cast

  • Angela Punch McGregor as Jessica Hathaway
  • Drew Forsythe as David
  • Liddy Clark as Sally Clements
  • Monica Maughan as Vera Peters
  • Philippa Baker as Sister Waterman
  • Tina Arhondis as Annie O'Farrell
  • Mark Butler as Doctor John Monroe
  • John Frawley as Harding

    • Production

    Film rights to the book were bought by Film Australia and Gil Brealey was assigned to direct. It was originally intended that Ann McDonald play herself but she had grown too big by the time she left hospital so 9 year old Tina Arhondis was cast instead. Shooting started in September 1983 and went for four weeks, mostly at the Convent of the Good Shepherd in Melbourne.

    Reception

    Annie's Coming Out won three 1984 Australian Film Institute Awards for Best Film, Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Lead Actress (Angela Punch McGregor). It was nominated for four other AFI awards. The film won the Prize of the Ecumenical Jury at the 1984 Montréal World Film Festival.

    The film was not a large commercial success but it screened in the US as A Test of Love.

    Home media

    Annie's Coming Out was released on DVD by Umbrella Entertainment in October 2010. The DVD is compatible with all region codes and includes special features such as press clippings, photos, and audio commentary with Gil Brealey, Rosemary Crossley, Chris Borthwick and Anne McDonald.

    The film score recording by Simon Walker, produced by Philip Powers, was released in 2002 by 1M1 Records

    References

    Annie's Coming Out Wikipedia
    (Text) CC BY-SA

    Annies Coming Out IMDbAnnies Coming Out themoviedb.org