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A Slice of Life
by Francine Brokaw
Opal Dream
Tell the truth, did you have a make-believe friend when you were young? Most kids do. This sensitive story is about 8-year-old Kellyanne (Sapphire Boyce), who’s imaginary friends are a big part of her life in a small Australian town. Kellyanne and her two friends Pobby and Dingan are constant companions and everyone in the town is aware of the threesome. The shopkeeper even keeps special lollypops for Pobby and Dingan so whenever Kellyanne comes in she can give them to her friends. Even though her father wants her to get on with her life and realize the two friends are only make believe, Kellyanne insists they are real.
One day the two companions go missing and Kellyanne is frantic. She sends her dad and brother to go looking for them. The opal miners have strict rules about others being on their claim, and when Kellyanne’s father is found hunting for the two imaginary companions he winds up in a lot of trouble. But that is not the worst of things. The disappearance of her two friends sends Kellyanne’s health into a downward spiral and the little girl becomes deathly ill. She is worried about her friends and misses them in her life. Seeing his sister this ill makes Ashmol (Christian Byers) upset so he goes off looking for the missing companions. What he – and eventually the town discover is that believing is the most important thing. Seeing isn’t necessarily believing.
The premise of the story is strange, that’s for sure. But our imaginations are what get us through when we’re young, and who’s to say that what we imagine when we’re young isn’t real?
Young Sapphire Boyce, who stars in the film, describes the two companions perfectly. “Dingan’s a bit girly, and Pobby’s a boy. Dingan’s got an opal in her bellybutton – a beautiful opalized shell. She loves playing with her hair. Pobby has a limp since he’s got a wooden leg, and a red cape – which I made up. They love lollipops – cherry and blueberry – and a couple of times I ate their lollipops.”
The film has some interesting components, the most important being imagination.
© 2006 Francine Brokaw
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