Struck by Lightning

This film was produced with the assistance of the South Australian Film and Television Financing Fund.

The meaning and relevance of the film's 'Struck by Lightning' title is outlined in the movie's press kit in a 'Writer's Note' by screenwriter Trevor Farrant entitled 'The Title'. It reads: "In many cultures, in medieval times, it was believed that, since babies literally came from heaven, a child who was born retarded must have been 'struck by lightning' en route. This reference is never explained in the film; we don't know why Cannizzaro [Brian Vriends] chooses the lightning bolt as the emblem for the soccer team, except that, in typical style, it is an outrageously macho, over-the-top symbol for such an inept rabble. 'Struck by Lightning', of course, is also the effect that Cannizzaro has on the lives of those around him - most of all Rennie, who serves in the story as a kind of 'lightning conductor' for Cannizzaro's excesses of optimism and lunatic faith."

Director Jerzy Domaradzki said that this picture came to him "like most important things in my life, by accident. I was working with Trevor Farrant on another script and he gave this to me to read. When I started it, I couldn't stop, it was so moving that I told him I would be ready anytime to direct it."

Jerzy Domaradzki, the film's director, said of what attracted him to this picture: "This is an issue film about retarded people...what should we do with them?...but the approach in the script is universal. The Down's Syndrome people are shown as 'normal but different'. They are in some ways more happy, they don't have a past or a future, but live in the present. Making this film might help us understand not only these people, but also ourselves." He added: "It is also a film about friendship, about the quality of love, presented with humor and humanity. There is a thread of dark comedy, or irony - Cannizzaro [Brian Vriends] wants to change people's lives, Rennie [Garry McDonald] opposes him and thus the life he changes most of all is Rennie's."

Director Jerzy Domaradzki endorsed the producers decision to cast real-life Down's Syndrome adults as the Saltmarsh workforce. He said: "We created characters for them, so that they are in the film as actors, not merely playing themselves. For a few characters, particularly those who have love affairs, we cast professional actors, we were afraid of the price they might pay afterwards. The reality of the film could get confusing with the reality of their lives."