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Leah Vandenberg in the Eternal Dance,one of the standout stories in the portmanteau production Here Out West.Credit:John Platt

Nancy’s destination,the local hospital in Sydney’s inner west where her daughter has just given birth,becomes a key location where many of its racially diverse characters cross paths. And an impulsive action by the new grandmother becomes the springboard for the events that follow.

Nothing goes smoothly for the characters inHere Out West. Everyone’s plans are disrupted and they have to find ways to adapt. Flowering into a vibrant mosaic,the beautifully assembled telemovie is made up of stories about people under pressure and it smoothly draws together a wide cross-section of migrant communities. What’s more,it does so without waving a self-congratulatory flag for its representation of diversity. This,it is perceptively showing but not blatantly declaring,is the melting pot that is Sydney’s west.

There are parents who’ve been separated from their children or are fighting with them. There are children struggling with or rebelling against expectations. There are migrants endeavouring to honour the traditions of their homelands while battling to adapt to the realities of a more recently adopted country:trying to find work,to meet the demands of employers,to keep their businesses afloat,to cope with health issues.

Arka Das,Rahel Romahn,Thuso Lekwape in Here Out West,a beautifully assembled telemovie set in Sydney’s migrant communities.Credit:ABC

All manner of compromises are seen to be required in order for them to get by. There’s stress and strain everywhere and,in such an environment,small gestures of kindness assume great significance. Events unfold in unpredictable ways and nothing is overstated. The drama is poignant without ever sliding into sentimentality.

Two of the standout stories – and there are no duds – areThe Eternal Dance andThe Musician. The first,written by Bhattacharya and directed by Kokkinos,finds Ashmita (Leah Vandenberg) hurrying to visit her father in hospital,her mother sitting nervously at his bedside. She rushes in looking worried,carrying his favourite sweets,and promptly snaps at a terse,over-worked nurse (Anita Hegh).

Ash sends her mother home to rest,but then finds herself in need of assistance. How these events transpire,the form they take and their impact on the characters involved are beautifully rendered,speaking to the longing,perhaps largely unacknowledged,that migrants might feel for the reassuring familiarities of their birthplace. And the way that this story adroitly connects with that of Robi (Arka Das),a character in the previousBrotherhood chapter,affording him further dimension while developing Ash’s character,illustrates the thoughtful construction of the production.

Written by Dogan and directed by Abboud with additional direction from Kokkinos,The Musician sees Kurdish refugee parents Keko (De Lovan Zandy) and Xoxe (Befrin Axtjärn Jackson) apprehensively awaiting the arrival of guests. They clearly have tentative hopes for the meeting,and their agenda,and that of their guests,gradually emerges over tea,fruit and nuts. Both parties have plans that will be affected by the outcome of the gathering. The way in which Keko and Xoxe’s fragile aspirations collide with the reality of their circumstances is eloquently evoked and the performances are quietly potent and heart-rending.

Getting the tone,pace and balance right on an anthology isn’t easy. This inventive and insightful production nails it.

Here Out West is on ABC,Sunday,August 14,8.30pm and ABC iview.

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