Love and Other Catastrophes

Funky and hip from the very start, this amusing little Australian screwball comedy follows one mixed-up day in the life of a group of grad students in Melbourne. At the center are Alice (Garner), a sprightly young woman who is four years late with her dissertation on "Doris Day as Feminist Warrior," and her lesbian roommate Mia (O'Connor), who finds herself caught in the bureaucratic nightmare of trying to change her department. The film zips around through their respective day while introducing a slew of supporting oddballs, especially in regards to their search for a new, third roommate. Director and cowriter Croghan demonstrates a marvelous sense of character while delivering occasionally cracking dialogue, and Garner and O'Connor both make thoroughly engaging protagonists.