Handsome but backward gardener Tim Melville has a new woman in his life. She is Mary, his widowed employer, a woman who had given up on love until she had found Tim. At first they are friends. But soon they become lovers, as Mary, drawn to Tim's innocence and magnetism, begins to teach him all about life - and love.
Acting
Gibson's physicality—childlike without caricature, devastating in its restraint.
Writing
Adapts Colleen McCullough's novel with surprising nuance for 1979.
Director
Michael Pate
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Gibson was only 23, fresh from drama school; this was his first major film role after Summer City.
Piper Laurie had just played Carrie's mother—this was her 'rehabilitation' into sympathetic roles. The film sparked controversy in disability advocacy circles even then, with some praising its tenderness and others criticizing the 'magical disabled person' trope.
AU
