Ellie and Abbie (And Ellie’s Dead Aunt)

TV-MA, 82min, 2020

Directed by Monica Zanetti

(Fantasy, LGBTQ+, YA Romance)

Ellie and Abbie and Ellie’s Dead Aunt is a lovely entry into a growing catalogue of modern queer rep in cinema. At once funny, charming, bittersweet and inspiring, this sweet tale begins as a coming of age teen romance with a dash of ghost story, but unfolds to so much more. It’s even a little bit of a loose reimagining of a Cinderella style tale, sure, but I’m way not mad about it. It’s really sweet and charming and moving!

I was instantly smitten with the adorably awkward Ellie, and her absolute goofy ghost of her aunt! They have a very funny and silly dynamic together, and the typical awkward affection and relationship of teenagers with adults. The interactions of Ellie and her crush, Abbie, are very funny and so charmingly uncomfortable as teenagers “in love” are want to do. Ellie’s ghostly aunt attempts to run interference to help Ellie be her best queer self, though it doesn’t go entirely as anticipated. Ellie and Abbie explore their queer identities, their relationship, and their sense of self, and the connections they have with their community. Ellie’s mother is on her own path to accepting her daughter’s identity, but perhaps not for the reasons that seem so obvious. Pam is a family friend who does her best to repair and maintain connections between Ellie and her mom, and reconcile the tension that hangs above them like a storm cloud waiting to burst. As the stories unfold, we learn there is one connection between the women that intertwines all their stories and experiences.

Everyone in this film is on their own journey to find a level of feeling grief, accepting it, and living with it. They’re discovering their personal identity alongside and outside of that grief, and how to find the beauty and solace within it. I love that each person’s journey is entirely different, but aligns through a common thread. And I thoroughly enjoyed how it reminds younger queer generations of the work of LGBTQ+ folks that came before, and that community bonds are vital to the present and future.

We cannot ignore the ghosts of our past, but should absolutely do the most to ensure we live so bravely, loudly, and fiercely and never be silenced again. By talking about the tough stuff anywhere in our lives, we can heal and grow and do better.

It’s a charming little movie with a lot of heart, and would make a very cute watch with teenagers who are looking for non-hypersexualized queer rep with a touch of queer history*. (*in Australia)

TW: LGBTQ+ issues, PTSD, family trauma, car accident, death of a family member, grief and depression, homophobia, hate crimes.

Review by Ellen Avigliano
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