Australia
Writer/Director: Zoe Pepper
Producer: Cody Greenwood
Writer: Adriane Daff
Genre: Psychological drama
A doting single mother seeks the help of a charismatic high school teacher to make her teenaged daughter speak, but the harrowing side effects of his mysterious treatment have devastating consequences.
Denise is at breaking point. Her teenage daughter refuses to talk and will only communicate via text message. A charismatic new teacher, Julian May, moves to town. He’s handsome and wealthy and has a confidence that is completely alien to Denise. When he says he can make Greyson speak, Denise believes him, whole heartedly. In her desperate state Denise willingly agrees to subject her daughter to Julian’s mysterious mind therapy. The results are oddly impressive at first, even though Greyson still isn’t speaking. But as the sessions draw on and Greyson still isn’t speaking it is Julian charm and rhetoric that is the only thing giving Denise any confidence in Greyson’s progress.
Greyson feels accepted by Julian and crushes on him hard. Greyson begins to suffer terrible side effects from the therapy and hides them from Denise.
When kids from Julian’s previous school turn up to avenge the death of their friend, Denise learns the therapy is far more sinister than she ever imagined. But getting Julian out of Greyson’s life is complicated by Greyson’s undying crush.
Denise comes to realise that she is the only one who can save herself and her daughter.
Greyson may never speak again and Denise comes to accept that and accept Greyson for who she is.