New film Birthright is a biting, relatable satire on Australia’s housing affordability crisis
Madman Entertainment Angry, twisted, macabre: new Australian film director Zoe Pepper has made a film perfectly crafted to meet the heated debates about Australia’s housing affordability crisis. Birthright darkly satirises the intergenerational conflict between boomer parents and ageing millennial children – two population groups that have vastly different experiences when it comes to employment, home ownership and raising a family. The film raises unsettling questions about the kinds of entitlements younger generations should ask from elder ones, and the suburban mayhem that ensues when such requests are denied.
Blame games From columnist Bernard Salt’s infamous critique of millennial smashed avocado brunches, to the worldwide “OK boomer” meme, there is no shortage of moralistic media coverage trying to pit the generations against one another. There is also the “SKI” movement, which stands for “spending your kid’s inheritance”. This is grounded in the belief that retired parents should spend their life savings, rather than putting it away for their offspring. One news article on this topic quotes a retired mother who sees the child’s expectations as a moral failing: There are generations coming through that just don’t expect to work. They expect to inherit or be given or bought a family home by their parents. What do parents really owe their kids? As the title suggests, the oscillation between the entitlement of inheritance versus the desperate need for family support is the main dynamic that fuels the drama of Birthright. The film begins with Cory (Travis Jeffery) and Jasmine (Maria Angelico) evicted from their flat, struggling to jam their possessions into their small car. Both in their late thirties, Jasmine is heavily pregnant and Cory is unemployed. Things are looking bleak. With no other option, the couple travel to Cory’s parents’ home, masking a long stay under the pretence of a short visit. Parents Richard (Michael Hurst) and Lyn (Linda Cropper) are immediately distrustful and put out by the young couple’s intentions.
Things are looking bleak for Cory (Travis Jeffery) and Jasmine (Maria Angelico) once they’re evicted from their flat with a baby on the way.
Madman Entertainment
Cory’s relationship with his parents is notably strained – he hadn’t even invited them to his wedding – so they’re not happy about an extended stay. When he explains “the rental market’s fucked”, Richard retorts “well, you should own your own house by now!” At first, they ask to stay for a night. Lyn says the “guest room is in a state”, so they are forced to bunk in Cory’s old room. The discrepancy between the luxurious home and the cramped conditions of the room is played as comical. It all goes badly very quickly. Cory’s sense of having a “birthright” is apparent as soon as he arrives, when he finds the spare key to enter the home. Meanwhile, Jasmine helps herself to