Benefited

Synopsis

Dity has just found out that she is pregnant but to a past abusive lover. Without a job, car, or safe home of her own, she must navigate herself through the government benefit system to no avail. Will is only 15 years old, but he is learning how to break into houses. Ray struggles to overcome his jealousy fuelled violent past to become a father to his child.

We journey back to where Dity and Ray’s romance unfolds. Dity is surrounded by sexual harassment, drug, and alcohol abuse and meets Ray at a music festival with their friends Tim and Teagen. That night Ray convinces Dity to wash off the festival dust in the pool with him and they share a passionate moment. Dity quickly gives her trust to Ray, who promises Dity a new and better life away from all she knows living with him in the upper-class South of Sydney. Ray soon becomes mad with jealousy and violently attacks Dity over and over again until their relationship finally ends. Dity’s harassing stepfather dies and she is finally free to have a home of her own and tells Ray that she wants nothing to do with him and wants to raise their child alone. Things begin to look hopeful for Dity, until the government housing body refuses her succession of the Stepfathers government housing property due to her time living with Ray.

Back in current time, Will is trying to fit in with the troublesome young Ort who shows Will how to make a living of breaking and entering. Dity discovers she has been broken into herself sending her spiraling back into the dangerous clutches of Ray. Will runs into his sister and begins to have second thoughts about his new life of crime. Ort, however, leads Will to sell their stolen items. Will tries to confide in Ort, about the thoughts he has been having about his violent past and being present while losing his mother to domestic violence. Will, finding no solace in Ort, tries to inject himself with heroin, but something goes terribly wrong and Will dies. The timelines begin to blur, and we travel back and forth seeing the downfall of Ray and Dity’s violent relationship. Dity tries to find support within the government housing system, however, she soon discovers that there is no help for here anywhere. When Dity discovers she has been broken into, she crumbles and let’s Ray back into her life.

A few years pass by, and a soft and timid Dity is waiting with her son Jye, for Ray to return home from work. Ray returns and starts an argument with Dity, which results in Ray becoming physically violent, smashing her head against the cabinet. Dity lays lifelessly on the floor as Ray leaves the room. Young Jye creeps out of bed to check on Dity and Ray yells at him to go back to bed. Ray then yells at and kicks Dity to “Get up” but she is nonresponsive..

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