The Pretend One

The Pretend One is an Australian independent realism drama film directed by Tony Prescott. It was filmed in April 2015 in central Queensland, Australia. The screenplay was written by James Raue and Tony Prescott. The Pretend One had its world premiere at the Gold Coast International Film Festival in April 2018 closely followed by its international premiere at Newport Beach Film Festival.
The film was released theatrically for a limited season in March 2019 with various screenings in cities and regional centres concluding in July 2019.

Cast

Geraldine Hakewill as Charlie
Michael Whalley as Hugo
Benedict Wall as Guy
David Field as Roger
Alice Roberts as Young Charlie
Elijah Perris as Young Hugo
Fiona Press as Therapist

Reception

The Pretend One was met with positive reviews. Matthew Eeles of Cinema Australia gave the film five stars writing "Who would have thought one of the most beautiful, heartfelt, emotional and complex on-screen relationships in Australian film history would be between an adult woman and her imaginary friend". Filmink magazine rated the film 17.5/20 writing "The Pretend One belies its skinny budget, working perfectly with what it’s got at hand, but never skimping on ambition of concept or vision. It’s a sweet but never sentimental film that will break your heart in the best possible way".

Accolades

In 2018, Cinema Australia went on to place The Pretend One at fourth position in its annual Top 5 Australian Films list.