Draft:Here Out West

Here Out West is a 2021 Australian anthology film set in Western Sydney. The film has been praised for its positive portrayal of the diversity of Western Sydney and includes dialogue in ten languages.

Synopsis
The film consists of eight loosely connected sections, each following different characters in Western Sydney.

We, the Spiders

 * Directed by Lucy Gaffy, written by Nisrine Amine

Nancy (Genevieve Lemon) is unexpectedly left to babysit her neighbour Amirah (Mia-Lore Bayeh). Nancy takes Amirah to a hospital to visit her daughter Meghan (Contessa Treffone) who has just given birth to a girl named Grace and soon has to return to prison. Meghan is upset because Nancy cannot look after the newborn after a failed interview with child protection officials. Nancy promises to make it up to her, and subsequently kidnaps Grace.

Everything Changes

 * Directed by Ana Kokkinos, written by Matias Bolla

Jorge (Christian Ravello), a security guard in the hospital's carpark, writes poetry in Spanish while working. Interspersed with his poetry are flashbacks of conflict with his son Felipe (Jaime Ureta), and with his estranged wife. Felipe comes to the carpark to talk, but they are interrupted by Nancy trying to leave with Grace. Jorge refuses to let her leave, but Nancy intentionally crashes through the boom-gate and flees. As Jorge runs after her, Felipe calls the police and stumbles across Jorge’s notebook, reading one of his poems.

Brotherhood

 * Directed by Leah Purcell, written by Arka Das

Three friends—Dino (Thuso Lekwape), Rashid (Rahel Romahn) and Robi (Arka Das)—run through the streets: Rashid is chasing Dino, who is interested in Rashid's cousin Farah. While trying to mediate, Robi gets punched. They see a man get hit by a car (driven by Nancy, who flees), and carry him to the hospital. While Robi's injury is treated, his mother calls but he is dismissive of her. Rashid and Dino reconcile: Rashid reveals he's protective of Farah because he protected her when they escaped Afghanistan. When Farah reveals she's actually dating Robi, Rashid is annoyed Robi didn't tell him. While Robi eavesdrops on this conversation, Ashmita (Leah Vandenberg) approaches him.

The Eternal Dance

 * Directed by Ana Kokkinos, written by Bina Bhattacharya

Ashmita is at the hospital visiting her dying father. He reverts to speaking in his native Bengali, but Ashmita doesn't understand. When she overhears Robi speaking Bengali, she asks him to interpret, and Robi reluctantly says her father wants to die back in India. Ashmita tells Robi that she didn't understand the importance of respecting elders until it was too late. After Ashmita says goodbye to her father with Robi interpreting, he suggests they sing something to her father. Ashmita sings the song "Mama Chitte" and her father has a moment of lucidity. She thanks Robi, who goes home carrying two cans of condensed milk his mother asked for.

The Musician

 * Directed by Fadia Abboud, written by Dee Dogan

Brother Tom

 * Directed by Fadia Abboud and Ana Kokkinos, written by Tien Tran

The Long Shift

 * Directed by Julie Calceff, written by Vonne Patiag

Closing Night

 * Directed by Leah Purcell, written by Claire Cao

Background and development
Each subsection of the film was written by an emerging writer, all from different backgrounds. The film includes dialogue in ten languages: Tagalog, Bengali, Arabic, Kurdish, Spanish, Turkish, Cantonese, Vietnamese, Kurmanji, and English.

The food docu-series 8 Nights Out West was inspired by the movie, hosted by Here Out West writer and actor Arka Das. Each episode features a member of the cast or crew showcasing and discussing food from their cultural background. The docu-series aired in anticipation of the launch of Here Out West on the ABC's streaming service.

Critical reception
In a review for The Guardian, Luke Buckmaster characterises the film as a moderate success, though limited by its format, which does not leave much time to explore each story. He praises the film's tenderness and describes the writers as "promising".

Wenlai Ma from News.com.au praises both the actors and those behind the scenes for the film's authenticity, considering Here Out West to be "genuine, moving and revealing".