According to the film's Australian distributor Art Films, ''throughout the film the symbol of the cactus is a recurrent motif. The cactus is a plant that thrives on neglect, and it provides the drama with a brittle but telling edge. Both [central] characters have a totally different concept of what they 'see'. For Robert [Robert Menzies] it is a blend of imagination and legend. For Colo [Isabelle Huppert], it is a fusion of memory and impulse - two blind people teaching one another how to see.''
''The film was inspired by Paul Cox's memory of his mother temporarily going blind when he was a child'' according to the 'Wikipedia' website.
Writer-director Paul Cox at one point decided that he wanted to work with French actress Isabelle Huppert and customized and developed the screenplay with her in mind.
The film's opening credits dedication reads: ''In memory of Else Cox-Kuminack 1906-1984''. She was the mother of the film's writer-director Paul Cox. She had gone blind temporarily when he had been a boy.
The film in 1986 was nominated for 2 AFI (Australian Film Institute) Awards - Best Director for Paul Cox and Best Actor in a Lead Role
for Robert Menzies - but the picture failed to win a gong in either category. French imported actress Isabelle Huppert was not nominated for Best Actress in a Lead Role.