101 CUPCAKES, 13min, Australia, Family/Drama
Directed by Jane Eakin

Healing comes in many flavours. An uplifting story about love, death and the healing power of cooking.

Seen at the August 2016 FAMILY FEEDBACK Film Festival in Toronto.

Movie Review by Kierston Drier

Grief is by far one the most complex and compelling emotions of the human experience. 101 Cupcakes, written and directed by Jane Eakin, dissects the emotion with an expertly spun tale combining the raw sorrow and comforting simplicity. Grieving daughter Amy, while cleaning out her late mother’s’ home, discovers evidence that her mother knew long before her death that she was ill and did not seek treatment. Amy spins quickly through several stages of grief (such as disbelief and anger) before stumbling across her mother’s cupcake recipe.

One of the wonderful things about this film is how efficiently it distills the themes of grief, loss, love and memory. Beyond the themes of the show, it is wonderfully edited and a special nod must be given to the Director of Photography. The memories, based flash backs, have a unique brightness and subtly that establishes the compassion and human connection Amy shares with her deceased mother.

This piece has a tear-worthy ending, and it comes from a place of honesty and compassion, not cliché. It has strong, human, layered characters and a wonderful sense of community. It is story that is simple, and yet rich. It is about the memories we keep, the lives we build, and the sweetness in even the most bitter moments of life.

Watch the Audience FEEDBACK Video of the short film: