IMDb 5.8 1986 HD

Playing Beatie Bow

Playing Beatie Bow

1986
Drama Fantasy
93 min NR Australia
4 / 10
5.8 IMDB

Abigail Kirk was an ordinary enough sixteen year old growing up in todays Sydney. An intriguing chain of events finds Abigail, through some eerie time shift, transported back…

Personnel // Cast & Crew

Director Donald Crombie
Starring
Peter Phelps / Imogen Annesley / Mouche Phillips / Nikki Coghill / Moya O'Sullivan / Don Barker / Lyndel Rowe / Damian Janko

How Viewers Describe This Film

Common themes and sentiments

intriguing eerie charming thought-provoking atmospheric nostalgic mysterious engaging quaint slow-paced imaginative captivating

Reviews

S
Sophia Bellwether
May 20, 2026
2.5 / 5
2.5

The concept behind 'Playing Beatie Bow' is its strongest asset: a modern teenager mysteriously sent back one hundred years. Imogen Annesley embodies the bewilderment of Abigail Kirk, though the film’s overall execution feels somewhat hesitant. The direction, which…

J
Julian Finch
May 20, 2026
4.5 / 5
4.5

A wonderfully imaginative piece of Australian cinema, 'Playing Beatie Bow' is a transportive experience. The central performance by Imogen Annesley is exceptional, capturing the wide-eyed wonder and eventual fortitude of a girl flung through time. The film’s uncredited…

C
Clara Davies
May 20, 2026
3.0 / 5
3.0

'Playing Beatie Bow' attempts a fascinating temporal leap, with sixteen-year-old Abigail Kirk finding herself a century in the past. Imogen Annesley navigates this transition with a believable mix of shock and adaptation. The film's tone is largely one…

M
Marcus Thorne
May 20, 2026
4.0 / 5
4.0

There’s a distinct spectral quality to 'Playing Beatie Bow', a 1986 Australian gem that uses a childhood game as a gateway to the past. Imogen Annesley is a revelation as Abigail, her journey through time marked by a…

E
Eleanor Vance
May 20, 2026
3.5 / 5
3.5

A curious premise fuels 'Playing Beatie Bow', transporting a modern Sydney teen back a century. Imogen Annesley anchors the film with a performance that captures youthful bewilderment and burgeoning resilience. The director, whose name remains uncredited here, crafts…

FAQs

The game 'Beatie Bow' serves as the catalyst for Abigail's extraordinary journey. It's presented as a children's game with an element of scariness that captures Abigail's attention. Its presence is crucial, acting as the mysterious trigger that initiates the time shift. The game's role is more than just plot device; it symbolises a connection to the past and perhaps a hidden lore that bridges Abigail's present with the historical era she is sent to.