When Point Cook actor Kaarin Fairfax is asked why people should go and see the new film she stars in ‘What About Sal’, she gives a simple but compelling answer: it’ll make you feel good.
“I have lots of friends that say to me, ‘I would love to be able to watch something that’s uplifting that’s not full of violence or negativity’, said Fairfax, who’s appeared on screens and stages since the early 1980’s.
“I think [the film] gives us hope that people are good and that good things can happen.”
This isn’t obvious though when Fairfax describes ‘What About Sal’, written and directed by Australian screen legend John Jarrett, who also stars in the film.
“The story takes you through the journey of this boy [Sal] whose mother is dying and decides he needs to find his father,” said Fairfax who plays the mother Sophie, while Jarrett plays the missing father, an old rocker who had a one night stand.
“We basically follow the story of Sal trying to find his dad in a world that doesn’t really know how to help him,” she said of Sal who has Down Syndrome.
While conceding that the material is heavy, Fairfax said the film is very funny and the performances, particularly that of Down Syndrome actor Gerard O’Dwyer who plays Sal, are remarkable.
“You absolutely forget that you’re watching someone with Down Syndrome,” said Fairfax of O’Dwyer.
“It’s an extraordinary performance. It’s not a Down Syndrome performance, it’s a performance. It’s brilliant.”
Fairfax came to the fil through Jarrett, who she has known since they appeared together in the Ned Kelly film, The Last Outlaw, when she was just 18.
What About Sal was launched at Cinema Nova in Carlton last week and will open to the public at the same venue from May 2.
Cade Lucas
