Shiny Thing (2009)

For as long as he can remember, teenager Lochlan has yearned to be someone's priority. His only close family is his mother Harriet - a shining, charismatic cabaret performer, addicted to the buzz of stage lights and the validation of applause. Fighting for Harriet's attention has always been a losing battle, and has pushed Lochlan to seek out mother figures in other women. As a new school year begins, Lochlan sets his sights on his teacher, Mrs Kibre - a delectably stiff and private woman. He takes pleasure in trying to bust into her highly-guarded personal world through a string of after-school detentions. When Mrs Kibre demands a parent-teacher meeting, Lochlan gleefully awaits the clash of two polar opposite women, and looks forward to Mrs Kibre's sympathy for his situation. But to his shock, the women hit it off - Mrs Kibre seemingly intrigued by Harriet's glittery world. When Lochlan learns that an unlikely friendship may be forming, he quickly loses control. He serves Harriet a devastating ultimatum, and Mrs Kibre, an embarrassing revelation - leaving all three to confront the choices they've made. In wading through the aftermath of his actions, Lochlan finally gets a glimpse of his mother in a new light. What others admire about her, he sees for the first time, and realises that her love for him has always been there.