Homebodies review: a teen, the ghost of a pre-transition self, and great TV

If you’re looking for an opening scene that’ll have you on the edge of your seat, it’s hard to beat the start of Homebodies.

All it takes is three ingredients: a flickering light bulb, a wobbly chair and Claudia Karvan getting up on the chair to fix the bulb. It might be obvious it’s not going to end well, but you’ll never guess where it all ends up.

Homebodies is a commission from the Digital Originals initiative with Screen Australia and NITV, designed to promote short-form drama on SBS. Originally it was six ten-minute episodes (and if you want that version, it’s available on SBS On Demand), but this weekend it’s airing on SBS and SBS as a complete one-hour story.

And that story focuses on Darcy (Luke Wiltshire), who returns to the small NSW town of Torwoo after years away to take care of his mother, Nora (Karvan) – looks like we were right to be worried about her climbing up on that chair. Well, maybe not that worried: when he gets home he finds her with a moonboot on hard at work on some home repairs. As she puts it: ‘I’m injured, but I’m not useless.’

Homebodies: a difficult return

For Darcy, it’s a difficult return. He transitioned a few years back, and going by the numerous photos around the house (and an awkward bathtub conversation), Nora hasn’t really come to terms with his decision.

He could deal with that (mostly by avoiding dealing with it); what he can’t deal with is that his mother has been secretly living with someone and not telling him. Worse, that someone is Dee (Jazi Hall), the teenage ghost of his pre-transition self.

To say that’s a lot to deal with is something of an understatement. Having his old self greet him with a snarky ‘boo’ is enough to send Darcy running. Surprisingly, it’s also enough to send Dee out the door and into the night. Unfortunately (for her), like most ghosts, she’s tethered to one location. She can’t leave the house; looks like they’re stuck with each other.

Homebodies: figuring things out

Dee’s a teen who just wants to know about her future and the outside world; Darcy just doesn’t want to deal. One of Homebodies’ big strengths is the down-to-earth nature of everyone (including the ghost … or spirit … or unresolved trauma, it’s all a bit up in the air). Despite the off-the-wall scenario, everyone here is just a regular person trying to figure things out – including George (Roxie Mohebbi), Darcy’s teen crush who’s more than happy to finally meet the man he was meant to be.

As Darcy, Wiltshire manages to show off his character’s awkwardness and hostility towards his situation without making him unlikable. He’s clearly a decent guy, but having to deal with a whole lot of stuff from his past – including his literal past self – is enough to put anyone on edge.

Hall is excellent as a pissed-off teen with good reason to be that way. The moments where she tries to connect with her future self are genuinely touching – well, until she asks Darcy when did he become such an arsehole? Plus, you know, ghost powers are the kind of thing everyone would rather a surly teen didn’t have.

As their mum, Karvan clearly loves both her kids … she just hasn’t quite managed to adjust to the current situation with Darcy.

It’s understandable but not acceptable, and with anyone else in the role the hard edges might be a bit more obvious. But this is Claudia Karvan; it’s hard not to forgive her, even when she’s taking the long way around to the right place.

Homebodies: something for everyone

Created by AP Pobjoy, Homebodies is written by Pobjoy and Charlotte Mars and directed by Harry Lloyd alongside Pobjoy. With a run time of just over an hour all up, there isn’t a lot of time to mess around. Homebodies starts fast and doesn’t slow down: the locations are limited and the cast small, but it still manages to pack in a lot of storytelling.

It helps that there’s pretty much something here for everyone, whether you’re struggling to accept that someone you love has changed, trying to connect with someone you can’t quite reach, or being faced with an old life you hoped you could just leave behind.

At a time when original local drama is drying up on free-to-air television, SBS has been doing solid work in recent years with their Digital Originals line-up. Smart, sharp, and with real emotional weight behind the quirky concept, Homebodies is the kind of thing we need more of on our screens.

Homebodies premieres on 28 March at 8.25pm on SBS as a single hour-long program. It will also be available to stream free on SBS On Demand as 6 x 10-minute episodes.

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