The Palace (2014)

'The Palace' tells the story of two unique people at different stages in life, who connect through their inability to grasp 'grown-up' life and their desire to escape from restrictive surroundings. Ellie is a 28-year old woman living with her upper-class parents, who has an unfulfilling, demeaning job as a kitchen hand for a nursing home. When Ellie finally works up the courage to declare that she is moving out with her boyfriend Troy, her snobbish parents make their disapproval clear and force her to reconsider given her unimpressive and 'common' economic situation. However, Ellie's workplace encounter with eccentric dementia patient Hugh - an elderly man with plans to 'escape' from the aged care facility - inspires her to reevaluate her life position and consolidate separate values to her parents. Funny, touching and honest, this film explores several important topics - dementia, age discrimination, depression, social expectations - in an engaging and entertaining way presented by a talented crew of award-winning young Australian filmmakers.