Tim (1979)

A somewhat mentally handicapped 20-year-old man works as a laborer, but everyone abuses his naiveté. A nice 40-year-old American woman hires him one day and they become close. However, the town and his family see her as predatory.

Director:

Michael Pate

Writers:

Colleen McCullough (novel), Michael Pate

Stars:

Piper Laurie, Mel Gibson, Alwyn Kurts

4 wins.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Piper Laurie	...	Mary Horton
Mel Gibson	...	Tim Melville
Alwyn Kurts	...	Ron Melville
Pat Evison	...	Em Melville
Peter Gwynne	...	Tom Ainsley
Deborah Kennedy	...	Dawnie Melville
David Foster	...	Mick Harrington
Michael Caulfield	...	John Martinson
Margo Lee	...	Mrs. Harrington
James Condon	...	Mr. Harrington
Brenda Senders	...	Mrs. Parker
Kevin Leslie	...	Curly
Allan Penney	...	Mr. Thompson
Brian Barrie	...	Dr. Perkins
Geoff Usher	...	Minister

Storyline

Tim is a young man with below average intelligence. He works as a builder's labourer, and is often taken advantage of by his fellow workers and other people. Mary asks Tim to work around her yard for a day. The day stretches into a few weekends, and the two soon become good friends. Some people, however, are suspicious of their friendship which seems to be continually strengthening, accusing Mary of taking advantage of Tim's innocence. Will changing circumstances in Tim's family life change his relationship with Mary?

---

Plot Keywords:

male and female protagonists | borderline mentally retarded | looking at oneself in a mirror | man wears eyeglasses | woman wears eyeglasses | 

---

Taglines:

A Heartrending Story of Courage and Devotion

---

Genres:

Drama | Romance

---

Certificate:

Not Rated

Did You Know?

Trivia

Writer/director Michael Pate was so impressed with Piper Laurie's performance as the title character in Ruby (1977) that he sought her out to star as Mary Horton in this film.

---

Goofs

The boom and the shadow of the boom operator follow Mary out of her kitchen in the bottom right of the screen at the beginning of the film.

---

Quotes

Tim Melville: You told me that one day I would be so happy that I'd cry

---

Connections

Version of Mary & Tim (1996)

User Reviews

I don't blame Mel.

Here's my problem. The film is fine. The plot is fine. Mel's character, the title, Tim, doesn't make sense (in the movie, at least). Tim is *supposed* to be mentally handicapped. This is not expressed in anyway. He just seems to be a polite, if naive, young man. Every trick and character-flaw they use in the film to make us believe he is handicapped can easily be explained away without the viewer being convinced, (ie, he does not understand death, mainly because no one explains it to him). It is for this reason, I adore the film. Plus, Mel is adorably young. On the whole, a great film to laugh at with friends. Not so good if taken seriously.

Details

Country:

Australia

Language:

English

Release Date:

13 July 1979 (Australia)

Also Known As:

Tim

Filming Locations:

Palm Beach, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia

Company Credits

Production Co:

Pisces Productions, The Australian Film Commission, G.U.O. Film Distributors

Technical Specs

Runtime:

109 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1