CELIA: Celia (Rebecca Smart) is a fiercely independent and imaginative 9-year-old who lives uncomfortably with her buttoned-down family in suburban Melbourne in the 1950's. Her church-going parents are troubled by sexual frustrations and irrational fears about the rise of communism. Celia's world falls apart after the death of her grandmother, however, a friendship blossoms with new neighbour Alice (Victoria Longley), a fun-loving, open-minded woman with young children. Celia's father (Nicholas Eadie) also becomes enamoured by Alice, but cruelly forces her out of the neighbourhood when he discovers her communist sympathies. A beloved pet rabbit is now Celia's only source of affection, but when it too is taken, the child's world veers ominously between fantasy and reality, violence and tragedy.

THE TALE OF RUBY ROSE: During the 1930's in the remote highlands of Australian Tasmania, Ruby Rose (Melita Jurisic) lives with her husband, Henry (Chris Haywood) and stepson, Gem (Rod Zuanic). Ruby is alone for much of the time and, afraid of night's darkness, she concocts elaborate mythical stories to survive, retreating into a private world. Eventually, she sets out to reconnect with her estranged father and in the process transcends the fear that had gripped her so tightly.