The Australia Letter
The Australia Letter is a weekly newsletter from our Australia bureau. This week’s issue is written by Julia Bergin, a reporter based in the Northern Territory.
Lily Brett’s Emotional Experience on the Set of “Treasure”
On a film set in Berlin, Lily Brett was moved to tears as she witnessed the cinematic adaptation of her novel about her father unfold. Stephen Fry portrayed a character resembling her father, while Lena Dunham brought to life the character inspired by Lily herself.
“Stephen’s resemblance to my dad was striking. It’s remarkable because Stephen is 6-foot-5, whereas my father, at his prime, was 5-10,” Lily shared.
The film, titled “Treasure,” is set to premiere in Melbourne soon. Based on Lily Brett’s autobiographical novel “Too Many Men” from 1999, the story follows Edek, a Holocaust survivor, and Ruth, his daughter, on a poignant journey to Poland, Edek’s birthplace.
Lily Brett emphasized that the adaptation, directed by Julia von Heinz, stays faithful to her book and its central characters – mirror images of her late father, Max Brett, who passed away in 2018 just before his 102nd birthday, and herself.
Recalling a scene where Lena Dunham’s character mimicked some of Lily’s peculiar habits, Lily cringed, “When Lena did some of the weirder things that my character was required to do, all I could think of was, ‘Oh my God, did I do that?'”. She recounted a moment where her character, at the breakfast table, revealed container after container of dried food, saying, “Oh no, I did do that. Why did I do that?”
Lily Brett’s real-life anecdotes of carrying Tupperware during travels include a humorous incident in Vienna. Airport officials became alarmed by the shriveled orange sticks packed in clear plastic boxes. They called someone from her publishing company to explain that they were actually thinly sliced dried carrots, not suspicious items.
