Ethan is an Emo who has just been expelled from his private-school after attempting suicide in the courtyard. On his first day at his new school – the dilapidated Seymour High - he meets Trinity, a beautiful (but totally naive) Christian girl who is desperate to convert him to Jesus. But joining the Christian Evangelists is the last thing on Ethan’s mind. What he really wants is to join the school alternative rock band, ‘Worst Day Ever’ and to be part of the Emo clique, led by the enigmatic and dangerous Bradley. After a successful audition, Ethan is welcomed into the Emo world and embraces his image – complete with black eyeliner and a violently possessive girlfriend, Roz. But Ethan can’t stop thinking about Trinity, who is herself stuck in a restrictive world of dogma and denial. With the upcoming rock competition bringing tensions in the school at an all-time high, and with the burgeoning turf war between the Christians and the Emo’s set to explode at any moment, Ethan is torn between factions and forced to confront the harebrained actions of his friends and question who he has become.
Filming of the feature took place in the Melbourne metropolitan area throughout December 2015 and January 2016 and funding for the film was provided by a successful crowdfunding campaign, Screen Australia, Film Victoria, and the MIFF Premiere Fund.
Emo the Musical premiered on 12 August 2016 at the Melbourne International Film Festival. It was also selected to screen at the Berlin International Film Festival (Berlinale) in February 2017. The film was released in Australian cinemas 4 May 2017. The film was screened in Tel Aviv Cinematheque on 30 August 2017 as part of TLVFest monthly program.
