‘Compassion fatigue’ is a neologism we’ve all become familiar with over the past couple of decades. Faced with an Internet’s-worth of suffering, you’d have to be a saint to not feel to some measure of exhaustion.

In The Spare Room, a new adaptation of writer Helen Garner’s 2008 novel of that name, we encounter similar feelings in suburban Melbourne microcosm.

Helen (Judy Davis) welcomes us into the story. She’s waiting on the arrival of Nicola, an old friend from Sydney. They haven’t seen each other for years and this isn’t going to be the most cheerful of reunions. Nicola (Elizabeth Alexander) has been diagnosed with stage four bowel cancer and is coming to Melbourne for three weeks of alternative therapies at a clinic, the grand-sounding Theodore Institute.

Judy Davis in The Spare Room. Photo © Brett Boardman

At first, Helen is enthusiastic. She creates a little haven for Nicola in her home, fits the daybed with pink sheets. She can’t wait to show off her tireless competence as a carer, as a friend. But it doesn’t take long for Nicola’s presence to become an...