Mental

Shirley Moochmoore hides in a sunny domestic fantasy inspired by The Sound of Music. She lives with five daughters in Dolphin Heads and clings to a perfect, house-proud image. The gap between her dreams and the family’s growing chaos begins to widen.

One day she buys a huge amount of furniture and tells the neighbors her husband won it on a TV game show. The home becomes crowded with kitsch and clutter while the myth of a happy life falters. The family starts to endure the embarrassment and confusion that follows.

Her breakdown leads to a psychiatric hospital where she is confined. Barry, desperate to salvage appearances, tells the daughters that she is on holiday in Wollongong. The girls are left trying to navigate a fractured family on their own.

Barry hires a mysterious hitchhiker named Shaz to care for the Moochmores. Shaz immediately unsettles the household with her blunt, cockney-like ocker accent, her dog Ripper, and the knife she wears in her boot. She begins to challenge the girls to stand up to their bullies.

Shaz plants a new philosophy in the girls, encouraging independence and skepticism toward the outside world. She terrifies the girls into obedience, while also pushing them toward resilience. Her presence reshapes the family dynamics.

Shaz leads the Moochmore girls on a dawn climb of a nearby mountain. At the summit, each girl selects a stone symbolizing their newfound strength to face adversity. The experience forges a new sense of solidarity within the family.

Coral is encouraged to pursue a romance with Trout, the lifeguard at the aquatic theme park. Trevor, the park's eccentric shark hunter, disrupts a clumsy kiss, but Coral grows more confident under Shaz's guidance. The start of a secret romance unfolds.

Coral and Trout share a romantic evening riding waterslides after the park closes. The moment marks Coral's increasing independence and Shaz's influence over her choices. The event deepens the family's entangled relationships with the outside world.

Shaz forces Barry to share a home-cooked meal and to confront his own issues by seeking treatment for Michelle's schizophrenia. The family is urged to face their problems rather than hide them. The mood shifts as Barry’s political life and family life collide.

Shaz reunites the Moochmores at the mental institution and reveals that Barry has been unfaithful. Shirley declares she will not support his political career unless he changes. Barry begs her to appear at his campaign launch, intensifying the conflict.

Trevor reveals that Shaz is actually his mentally disturbed ex-wife. He explains that the spirit of their late daughter is trapped inside the preserved shark in Trevor's exhibit. He is trying to move on, while Shaz continues resisting psychiatric treatment.

The girls help Shaz escape from the mental institution and tie up Trevor, aiding her in stealing the pickled shark. Trevor escapes in time to confront Shaz as she plans to release the shark into the ocean. The plan spirals toward a dangerous confrontation at the tank.

The shark tank plunges into the water, and Trevor becomes entangled in the rope around it. Shaz dives after the shark to save him, but neither surfaces. The finale turns tragic as the two remain missing.

Back at the campaign launch, the Moochmores perform a triumphant Edelweiss singalong in a Von Trapp-style finale. Aunt Doris confronts Shaz in the doll room, and Shaz proclaims I lived, then sets fire to the room and the house. She escapes into the night as the family looks on.