Story

The Team

are a group of multidisciplinar filmmakers from all over Australia and the world, united by the vision of Were Only Kids and supported through the Master of Art Screen program at AFTRS.

Writer / Director

Lily Boisvert

Directors Statement

We’re Only Kids explores the raw complexity and quiet brutality of sisterhood. Drawn from my own relationship with my sister, I’m fascinated by the unspoken language sisters share, how so much is communicated without words, and how, when words do break through, they carry unfiltered love, guilt, passion and jealousy all at once.
Beyond sisterhood, the film speaks to the invisible pressures placed on young women, and how the weight of those expectations follows us into adulthood. It offers a window into two girls navigating shifting power dynamics in a moment of high emotional stakes, where they collide in a battle between morality and safety.
Every choice in the film, from its visual language to its tone, coverage, and design aims to reflect the chaos, kinetic energy, and tenderness embedded in coming-of-age and girlhood.
I’m not only an older sister, but the eldest daughter and the eldest granddaughter on both sides of my family, although this film is not inspired true events, my passion for writing and directing “We’re Only Kids” is fuelled by the values that shaped my upbringing and the deep love I have for my little sister.
This one is for you Macy.
Love always.

Producers Statement

We’re Only Kids is an ode to sisterhood and how treasured, brutal, chaotic, and raw it can be. I was drawn to how this story explores how trauma ripples through generations, and how kids, doing their best to avoid the mistakes of their parents, often replicate them, just in different colours.
Andi, the parentified older sister, tries to hold their world together with rules and rigidity, but becomes just as suffocating as the neglect she’s trying to protect Chrissy from. None of this is her fault. It’s the fallout of circumstance, and we don’t flinch away from that. There’s a strong thematic echo between the sisters’ relationship and the moment of violence they witness next door. And while that moment could easily be played for shock value, we treat it with care. It’s not the drama of the event, but the emotional cost of what it triggers. The story never forgets that Chrissy and Andi are just kids, doing the best they can with the very little they’ve been given.
As a producer, my creative approach has always been experience-first and people-first. I want the set to feel like a space where everyone feels safe to play, experiment, and take creative risks. We’re telling a story that’s emotionally raw and vulnerable, and it’s important to me that the process of making it reflects the same integrity. We hope to build a creative culture where everyone feels ownership over the story we’re telling.
We’re Only Kids has evolved into something intimate and complex; anchored in lived experience, yet reaching out to anyone who’s ever tried to protect someone they love from the parts of life that don’t play fair.