Charlie is an art student at uni in Brisbane, far away from his complicated family, crashing on his long-suffering cousin’s couch, just waiting for his new life to begin. Maisie is part-way through an over-extended arts degree, looking for validation while simultaneously pushing away anyone who wants to get too close. She’s sick of being viewed as an object, but she wants to feel loved – not just for her mind, her humour, and her heart, but for her body, her beauty and her strength.

The two meet in three stages, at different times in their lives, and we see them through periods of growth and regression, good choices and bad, freedom and foolishness. Through lifelike portrayals of uni sharehouse politics, the parties, the self-discovery, the misunderstandings, miscommunications and youthful cruelties, Emily Lighezzolo introduces us to a cast of characters who we will see through to their mid-30s, as they navigate the cruel concept of ‘wasted potential’, and the even crueller concept of ‘wasted time’. One particularly lovingly portrayed character is Maisie’s mum, a creative spirit and force of nature. This complex and challenging relationship is underscored by the shift in priorities for feminists of different generations, as Maisie chooses between freedom and stability, self-reliance and support. Life Drawing celebrates the vulnerability and freedom of young love, while reckoning with the reality that those things alone cannot sustain a connection forever. The foibles that are present in our younger, unvarnished selves do not simply disappear as we age if they’re not acknowledged and dealt with – as Charlie and Maisie learn when they reconnect as adults, and navigate the challenges of choice, loss, honesty, heartbreak and what it means to be a family – chosen or otherwise.