Matching Jack - Australia 2010

Marissa and David are married and have one son called Jack. We see in the opening that David is very busy and is constantly only partially involved in family life.

During a football match, Marissa notices that Jack seems to be labouring in comparison with the other kids. She decides to take him for tests. David meanwhile departs for a business trip - he is a renovator or architect, a job which is later revealed gives him plenty of access to stay at home wives.

While in the hospital, Jack is placed in the sole available bed next to a boy called Finn. Marissa is first introduced to Finn's father, Connor, when she is standing outside trying to call David. Connor has just got off the bus with long pieces of timber and has dropped something on the road. An irate cab driver begins to berate him about getting a car and not taking such items on a bus, when the bus driver picks up the dropped items and tells the cab driver he'd be faster getting to where he wanted if he got out to help. Connor calls out, see what happens when you treat other people with kindness?

Inside, Connor reveals the timber pieces are a boat and begins to construct the boat frame around his son's bed. It is complete with a broomstick mast and sails. He tries to make friends with Marissa and Jack, but Marissa looks at him like he is a freak and draws the curtain around Jack. She has talked to a doctor who says Jacks white blood cells are abnormally high but Marissa says that could happen due to a number of reasons.

The doctor advises that Jack should stay overnight for more tests. Marissa finds she can't locate David, even at the hotel he claims he was staying at. We pan to David and see he is staying at the apartment of an attractive blonde woman, Veronica.

While she is outside, Finn asks Jack what kind of leukaemia he has. Jack says I haven't got that. Finn tells him that he is in the cancer ward. Jack says maybe he only has a little bit of leukaemia. Finn tells him there is only bad leukaemia and really bad leukaemia. When Marissa gets back Jack asks her if he has leukaemia. Horrified she looks at Finn then tells Jack he hasn't.

They return home and David is back also. Marissa asks him where he had been as she called the hotel. He blows it off and claims that there had been a mistake. Jack is really excited by a video of a comet on the Internet which he is recording himself talking about then runs off to ask his dad to see it. He runs into the study without knocking and begins shouting for his dad to see it. David is on the phone to Veronica and angrily turns to Jack saying don't you ever knock. Then he says he is on an important call and he has to finish this first. Jack reluctantly leaves but forgets his recorder.

David goes off for another job and Marissa is left with the duty of taking Jack to hospital along with her mother. Her mother has brought holy water to protect Jack. Connor arrives with a figurehead bust made of plaster for the ship. Marissa asks the staff to move Jack but they tell her that there are no other beds. Through overhearing Connor speak to Finn, and by conversation with Connor, Marissa figures that Connor is telling Finn that they will be sailing the oceans to the fairy islands where his dead mother lives. She confronts Connor, clearly disapproving that Connor is telling such a lie to Finn and going to such an extent of building the bed boat. Connor tells her that there is more to this disease than just treating it.

David and Marissa find out Jack has leukaemia and that the best therapy would be finding a bone marrow match. They find out neither of them have the appropriate marrow but a sibling would have a high chance of matching. Professor Nelson, the head of the department gives them a crash course on leukaemia which leaves them visibly perplexed.  David leaves again.

One day Jack is playing his recording of announcing the comet to Marissa and her mother when it suddenly comes to the point where he rushes into his dad. While Marissa and her mother smile about the interruption, it suddenly plays David talking again and he said saying Veronica I am really leaving her, she probably won't even notice, Jack is all she cares about. Horrified, Marissa grabs the recorder and stops it. She stands up and goes to the door. Her mother goes over and says after all the bells and whistles he turned out to be [a piece of crap]. As Marissa leaves, her mother goes back to Jack and says If you ever cheat on a woman I will kill you. Jack blankly says What?

Marissa meanwhile is hiding in the bathroom and plays it again before breaking down.

David returns home and is confronted by Marissa asking who Veronica is. He feigns ignorance. She then accuses him of knowing how sick Jack was yet still leaving him so he can carry on his affair. She asks if there were others but while he protests that there weren't, she sees through his lie. She kicks him out of the house. After he is gone she pulls notebooks out of the bookcases (presumably his job books) and goes through his study. She reads into everything and looks increasingly upset as she sees that all the clients are noted by the women's names and the dates and phone numbers for them.

In hospital again she is crying after Jack is asleep, and Connor hoists the sails (the room curtain) to ask after her. He comforts her.

Jack's football team come to visit and on one visit as a mark of solidarity all the boys shave their heads. Finn looks on sadly, but Jack notices and engages him in the conversation.

One night, granny is asleep and Marissa is out when Jack starts crying and calling for Marissa. Finn leans over and asks him what is wrong. Jack says his hands feel tingly and he can't move them. Finn reassures him that it is the treatment. Jack fears he is dying. Finn says he is not dying because people who are dying stop complaining. After this Jack calms down.

Marissa begins contacting the women in the job books and even visiting unannounced. As she becomes more frantic, her approaches become more aggressive, such as commenting how much the children look like David. At the peak of her unreasonable actions, she pushes her way into a house and the female occupant picks up the phone to call police. Marissa attempts to explain herself only to have the woman tell her that the name Marissa is saying is the person she bought the house from. Thoroughly embarrassed Marissa apologises and leaves.

While bonding with Connor, she tells him of another woman she confronted about having babies with David and the woman replied only if she had sex with David in the hills of (an African town). Her two sons then emerge and both are mixed race.

David angrily confronts her about what she is doing (probably after getting a complaint from the women). As they argue what is the right way to deal with the situation, Marissa yells that she is not trying to humiliate him, she is trying to save Jack. One day on her way to another woman's house, she sees David is already at the door talking to the woman. Marissa is surprised and drives on.

Meanwhile, David has advised Veronica what is happening and that he can't leave Marissa right now when she angrily tells him she is pregnant. He looks happy and amazed but when she hears that the child could be a match for Jack she reacts badly and says her child is not spare parts for Jack. She tells David he has no part in the decision whether or not she has the baby and David becomes desperate. However Veronica kicks him out.


Unknown to David, Veronica actually goes to visit Jack to meet him. Jack has no idea who she is but happily talks to her. He tells her that he hopes he won't die because his dad is going to live with another woman and then his mum will be all alone and won't know what to do. Shocked, Veronica goes ahead to have a test done on her baby.

She is upset and is in the toilets throwing up when Marissa on the outside of the stalls asks if she is ok. She comes out when Marissa asks her to drink some water. Marissa mistakes her for someone who also has a child with cancer. When Marissa mentions Jack as her son, Veronica looks at her in horror and races back to the toilet to throw up again. Still remaining ignorant, Marissa leaves.

Later Professor Nelson lets slip that Veronica's child was not a match, not knowing that neither Marissa nor David had even known she had been to the hospital. Marissa still does not realise she met Veronica.

Marissa finds yet another of David's old lovers. The woman has a teenage goth punk daughter who is sitting outside at the time. As she overhears the story, the daughter becomes excited and scandalised and says it is cool while her mother becomes more and more defensive. She tells Marissa that her daughter could never have been David's because if she was, she would have screwed David of every cent he had for child support. It is clear she holds a lot of animosity towards David.

The goth daughter (Kerry) attends the hospital unannounced. When Jack asks who she is, she says I'm your sister. He says I don't have a sister. She says yes you do. He says how does that happen? She realises he doesn't know about sex. She then leaves.


Marissa encounters Connor walking in the street with one of his figureheads and offers him a lift. He takes her to his boatshed and she gets to see all the things that he makes. He is a boat builder and a sailor. He then needs help transporting the figure to his yacht, however once they have got it into the dinghy, she is about to leave when she says how were you going to get it into your boat? He said he hadn't thought of that so she goes with him.

On board there are two other figures sitting at the table. He tells Marissa that he moved them there to keep him company during dinner after Finn moved out. He makes her a cup of tea and says she is the only woman who has been here who can hold her own cup. As they admire the view on deck, they hold each other and eventually are overcome and make love in consolation.

After Connor returns her to shore, he says remember, we only met on water, and now you are back on land.

That night the whole family are home. Jack has been allowed to go home. David makes to leave but Marissa says he can stay the night. David asks, really? David and Marissa have had sex. David thinks maybe things are going to change but then Marissa says she only did it for Jack. In sudden realisation, David says, you're trying to get pregnant.

Suddenly Jack is screaming. Both parents race to his room to see his face covered in blood. He screams that it won't stop. In hospital, two clowns dressed like balladeers sing a song about blood before Professor Nelson thanks them and gets them to leave. He then tells Jack and his parents why the bloody nose occurs after treatment and that Jack will be alright.

The next day Jack, Marissa, Finn and Connor go out sailing. They have a great time. Jack has also been spending a lot of time with Finn in his bed boat.

Finn and Jack talk about the kids that have their own tv and playstation. Jack wistfully hopes to get a playstation. Finn warns him that the only kids that get playstations and their first pick of DVDs are the ones who are about to die. Jack loses all his excitement and looks worried.


One day Connor is called out and is given the bad news that Finn is now terminal. Marissa goes to look for him when he doesn't come back. She finds him in a back room and asks if he needs anything. He tells her for godsake woman, just leave me alone. Shocked she leaves and begins to realise how she had been in denial that their children were going to die.

While no one is in the room and Finn is asleep, two clowns wheel in a tv and a playstation and say to Jack what a big surprise it will be for Finn when he wakes up. Knowing of what Finn told him previously that only those who are about to die get the playstation, Jack starts sobbing hysterically.

Later Marissa and Connor are down in the grounds talking about their children. Finn wakes up and feverishly feels the need to go. He sees the figurehead (which is of his mother), grabs it in the trolley and attempts to wheel it out. He goes to the fire stairwell but as he takes the first step the figure tumbles forward. As he is screaming the figurehead crashes through the window at the end of the step and it crashes down into a fountain right in front of Connor and Marissa. Connor races up the stairs. When Marissa and staff reach them, Finn is hysterically ranting that he doesn't want to die. Connor calms him down by saying that he is here but his mum is in the fairy islands, so when the time comes and they take the boat trip, maybe he will come home with his dad, but if not, he will be with his mum. Either way he is not going to be alone. Marissa realises how important Connor's make believe world was to help Finn with his impending death.




Finn is feeling worse, but Jack convinces him to come to a circus put on for the sick kids. It is organised that David will take them. On the way David is distracted by trying to get Veronica to talk to him. He runs a red light and crashes into another car. Desperate he goes on foot to Veronica's home.

David desperately tries to approach Veronica again, hammering on her door. She opens it and says the whole apartment is being disturbed by him, He asks is that all she is worried about. She tells him again he has no say about the child and to leave then closes the door on him.


Meanwhile Marissa and Connor have gone out for the evening for dinner. Marissa wonders whether they should go back but Connor tells her David has to have his turn and they also need a break. Finn and Jack are playing Battleship and look at the clock. It is past 7.30 and Finn sadly tells Jack David is not coming. Jack looks downcast but not surprised. He then says he has an idea. They sneak out of their ward and into the costume room (for the clowns) and emerge dressed as a chicken and a rabbit. Then then sneak out of the hospital and although they are seen by the staff on the desk, the staff mistake them for clowns and take no notice.


They then go to Luna Park where they spend the night on different rides. However, later on when they are on the carousel, an exhilarated Jack turns to Finn and sees Finn hunched over and hugging the pole. He says Finn, why didn't you say something. Luna Park is near the boat shed so they go to Connor's shed where Jack finds pillows and blankets for Finn. He tells Finn they have to go back to hospital but Finn begs him not to and to make a fire instead because he is cold. Jack gets extra rugs and makes a fire.

Marissa and Connor are disturbed by a phone call. Marissa tells Connor their boys are missing. She calls David and gets messaging so she tells him to call back right away.

At the hospital Connor tells Marissa to stay put while he goes with the police to try and find them. The police say the children were spotted at Luna Park around 8pm. Connor says that's right near the boat sheds.

When the police show up at the boat sheds, Jack runs out and tells them Finn is inside.

David takes Jack home. Jack is experiencing guilt but David tells him Finn is now very sick and the trip to Luna Park had nothing to do with what is happening to Finn.

David is shopping at the supermarket when Veronica sees him and looking over his shoulder says that says flatbread, not flathead (he is standing at the fish counter). He thanks her for having done the test. She pauses a moment then says she is sorry that the baby had not been a match. She says she is having an abortion on Saturday night. He offers to take her there but she smiles and says its not a date. It becomes clear that he cares for her but she has moved on and doesn't want to be with him any more.

The doctors tell Connor there is no difference now where Finn is so they go back to the boat shed. A nurse asks if there is anyone he wants to call. Later Marissa shows up. She sits beside Finn who looks up and asks if she is his mother. She tells him it is Marissa. Then David shows up with Jack. Marissa starts to ask but David says Jack wouldn't take no for an answer. Jack goes to Finn and asks if is hurts. Finn says it doesn't. Finn then makes Jack promise he will look after Connor because after he dies Connor will have nobody. Jack, Marissa, Connor and the nurse look on and Finn says he feels very tired. Connor asks him to go to sleep but Finn replies he can't and must wait until his mother arrives. In the morning Finn whispers that she is here and then he dies.

Later Marissa and Connor watch the undertaker drive Finn away. Connor them goes back into the shed. He then explodes, screaming and yelling and breaking things. Marissa leans against the shed and lets him vent.

Kelly and her mother reappear at the hospital. Her mother is adamant that her 15 year old daughter is not permitted to do anything. Marissa and David beg her because they have found out Kelly is a good match. Finally Kelly says to her mother she has always wanted a brother and it is something she really wants to do. There is a tense standoff between Kelly and her mother. Eventually Kelly rolls her eyes and says for godsake mum, nod your head, like this (nodding). Her mother gives in.

Marissa goes down to the dock and sees Connor packing up. She asks him how long he is going. He says until Ireland has had enough of me.

We see Connor in Ireland and reunited with his friends. They drink to The Lad in a bar. Then they send off Connor at a wharf and he rows out to a remote spot on still waters. He ceremoniously tips out Finn's ashes in the waters.

Jack recovers and David has moved out and is single. Jack frets that David can't even cook for himself.

Jack has become a keen sailor and wins a race. As Marissa cheers him, she runs back up the jetty to meet him and notices the door to Connor's she is open. Curious she calls out his name. He appears at the doorway having returned a few days ago. She confesses she thought of calling him but didn't know where to call. She then tells him that Jack has just won a boat race and Connor appears delighted. They go together to congratulate Jack. Marissa looks on happily as Connor takes over the fatherly role and helps Jack dismantle his yacht.