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Australian film ‘What About Sal?’ gets disability representation right.

The disability community has experienced a shift in its representation within the Australian entertainment industry over the past couple of years, with content such as children’s program Bluey and the SBS series Erotic Stories hitting our screens, according to Screen Australia.

Now, a film that showcases the intricacies of ageing parents, disability and unconditional love has hit Australian screens.

What About Sal? stars Gerard O’Dwyer as a thirty-something year old man with Down Syndrome who, upon his mother being diagnosed with terminal cancer and fearing he will be placed in a group home, goes in search of his father, played by John Jarrett, who also wrote and directed the film.

Powerd Media sat down with the Australian screen legend, whose screen credits include Picnic at Hanging Rock and the Wolf Creek franchise, to discuss how the film came into being.

“I was at a football match, and in the stand was a Down syndrome man, and his mum's there, she's in her seventies,” Mr Jarrett says.

“Every time we scored a try, he was so exuberant…I walked back to the car, and I said, ‘I wonder what would happen if his mum died and he had nobody’. And I thought, that's a bloody good idea for film.”

When questioned about how the film captured an accurate representation of disability, the actor praised his co-star.

Gerard! He's an extremely good actor. Really intelligent, especially with emotions.
John Jarrett

Gerard O’Dwyer was awarded Best Male Actor at Sydney's Tropfest, the world’s largest short film festival, in 2009 for his role in the short film Be My Brother by Bus Stop Films.

“It took us about two years to get the film up. So, I had two years to really get to know him. And I say he co-wrote it because he’s got his way of thinking and speaking,” Mr Jarrett says.

The actor recalls conversations with Mr O’Dwyer that struck a chord with how the script was being written.

“Before we made the film, he says, ‘so tell me exactly what you mean he met my mother and he had a one-night standing?’, which is funny, you know? So, I grabbed things like that and put it straight in the movie.”

Mr Jarrett, who has over 100 screen credits to his name, believes the reason the film resonates so well with people is because the character is very close to how Mr O’Dwyer operates.

“That's why that rings pretty true, you know? Gerard’s amazing. It's a really special film.”

What About Sal? is available to stream now.

Australian film ‘What About Sal?’ gets disability representation right

Video transcript

Emma Myers 0:00

Can you tell me a bit about the film? What about Sal?

John Jarrett 0:03

It's about Sal is a story of a Down Syndrome man whose mum smokes too many cigarettes and she's dying of lung cancer, and his father was a one night stand back in the 80s, in 1988 and so he's got to find his father so that he does not wind up in that roof houses, and the father looks a lot like me when he goes and finds him. He finds his father, and he's a drunk and an ex rock and roll singer, and so his mother's chain smoker and his father's a drunk. Without giving too much of the film away, it's him finding a way forward without going to a group out.

Speaker 2 0:38

I hate the word, but what inspired you to write What about Sal?

John Jarrett 0:43

Well, I was at a football match with my mate, Dave O, who played Dave in the movie, but he was the guy who came and told me off, that's Dave. He's actually not an actor. I actually wrote the character for Dave. And I thought, Who can I get that can do Dave? I thought, I'll get Dave. He actually pays himself. He's not an actor, but he's really good in me. He was, yeah, so we're at a football match because we both love rugby league, and in the stand with our Down syndrome, man, probably mid 30s, and his mum's there. She's, you know, 70s. She's there under suffering, I suspect, but, but he loves Rugby League, and our team was playing, and every time we scored a try was like he'd met Mecca. You know, he's so exuberant and such fun to be with, and great sense of humor. And it was just a pleasure being spending the afternoon with this guy watching at football. We had a good time, you know. And I walked back to the car with Dave. Oh, and I said, wonder what would happen if his mum died and he had nobody. I thought that's a bloody good idea for film. So that's where the idea came

Speaker 2 1:51

from. And so when riding the film, Did you consult people with Down Quinn Barrymore?

John Jarrett 1:58

I did, as a matter of fact

John Jarrett 2:06

so I knew about Jared. Yeah, Jared won Croc Fest in, I think, 2000 mate, as he probably says, I won three, $3,000 from the cold kid, but, and he won Best Actor at trocfest. And so I knew about him, and he's a really good actor, and then I did a play, and he came and saw the play, and he's a huge fan of MacLeod daughters, as am I. Sorry, that's all right. And so then he calls me, still calls me Terry to this day, anyway. So I went and had a chat to him and his mum, and I said, I've got this idea for a film, and I had the idea for the story and put it past them. And we was very excited about it, and that took us about two years to get the film up. So I had two years to really get to know Him. And so I say he co wrote it because I got his, his his way of thinking and his way of speaking. So things like Down syndrome, people take things literally, very, quite literally. And I'm talking to Jared about the script before we made the film. And says, So tell me exactly what that you mean. He met my mother, and he had a one night standing with my mother. That's what he said. And so I grabbed things like that and put it straight in the movie. You had a one night standing with my mother, which is funny, and so I worked very close to him, and I got to know how he operates. And he's also extremely good actor, really intelligent, especially with emotions. Down syndrome, people are more emotionally intelligent than we are. They've got every right, every right to have the shits with their life that they don't. They're happy people. They're capable of unconditional love, which so called normal people struggle with, because they're not that normal. Normal is a bad word. No one's no one's Normal. Normal would be boring, wouldn't it? So I just managed to write a film that was very close to how Jared operates, and that's why that rings pretty true, you know. And it is a huge fear. You know, he's mum's in the late 70s, fit as he doesn't live longer than most people, but still, you know, he has to face that. He's got a really good brothers and sisters and stuff. But, yeah, it's a big problem, so it was worth looking at and hoping it's done wonders and maybe helped the process out to get behind Down Syndrome people as they get older now, because when I was a kid like, Do you know what the life expectancy of a Down Syndrome person was back in the 50s and 60s, not 2525 25 and it was still only like 3540 in the 80s. And suddenly people were saying they need to exercise, they need to have a diet that doesn't affect their hearts, and someone had the brains to treat them in a way that's going to make their life longer and healthier. And Jared is 40 now, and he spends three hours in the gym, and he loves it. Doesn't have to be told to go there. He's very bright boy. He knew every. A line in that world, including mine. If I dried he'd say to me, he'd tell me my line. I never went twice for Jared, forgetting Lawrence and you every goddamn line. What response has this film had from the disability community? Well, from everybody, no one's come up to me and said, thanks. For inviting me to see the film. Not my cup of tea. You know, everyone just is. It's great. It's wonderful. It's fantastic. Jared is amazing. It's a really special film. I've had nothing but praise for it.