Forsoula

‘FORSOULA is a social drama, travel adventure and romance story about Soula, an Australian-Greek girl growing up in the western suburbs of Sydney during the late 1970’s. Its love story genre is not limited to romantic love, but extends itself to the love of family; friends and more significantly love for life.

Soula agonises over her struggle to fit in with her Anglo-Australian friends at school, in particular her best friend Kate, without upsetting her overly protective and traditionally Greek migrant parents. Soula’s fascination with art and dream to some day travel the world helps distract from a depressing situation. In due course Soula’s father ends her friendship with Kate; limiting Soula’s world to school and family. With her parents blessings she meets and ends up dating George, a Greek-Australian man.

Working as a waitress two years on Soula is engaged to be married to George.   Out of the blue she runs into Kate and their friendship is rekindled and suddenly Soula’s life takes a turn. Through Kate her passion for life is reignited and Soula shocks everybody by calling off the wedding. Instead she travels to Greece with Kate using the tickets that were meant for her and George’s honeymoon.

Soula’s initial struggle with bouts of homesickness is distracted when she meets and quickly falls in love with Thomas, an American serviceman stationed in Greece. His issues around sacrificing what he wants from life to placate family are comparable to Soula’s. Whilst in Greece Soula forms a newfound passion for life and to Kate’s dismay and Thomas’ delight she decides to stay in Greece for a while before travelling to London where Soula hopes to find work as a waitress to fund her dream trip to travel through Europe. After several months of bliss she reluctantly leaves Thomas and sets off for her adventurous and frightening train trip to London. She finally makes it to London and finds work as a waitress. Months pass with no word from Thomas and she sadly must accept she may never see him again. After a life changing event Thomas decides to leave the Air force and share with Soula her plans to travel. Things couldn’t be better when tragedy strikes and Soula receives word from home that her mother has had a stroke forcing Soula to return to Australia; sadly unravelling her plans to finally be with Thomas.

Months pass and Soula is stuck at home too afraid to leave her mother despite her good recovery from the stroke. Thomas’ pleads with Soula to change her mind and even follows her to Australia to make one last attempt to persuade her. Soula must decide on whether to stay with her mother and ultimately sacrifice her own life or go with Thomas and finally have a life for Soula.