Praise is a love story about a man and a woman, both of whom have low self-esteem, and another woman from the man's past. Obsessive Cynthia suffers from a skin disorder and an insatiable desire for men. She sees something special in Gordon, who is twenty-five, unemployed, a chain smoker and asthmatic. She invites him to a party where he is the only guest. After much alcohol, grass, Scrabble, and conversation, they make love. But just as Gordon is ready to lose himself in this new experience, his old love Rachel appears. His body now belongs to Cynthia, but Rachel still has his soul. In the meantime, Gordon's lungs are collapsing. In his first film, Australian director John J. Curran examines human frailties with insight. Praise was screened as part of the Panorama section of the 49th International Berlin Film Festival, 1999.