Doc Neeson, singer from the Australian rock band The Angels, was originally cast in the lead role of Javo. Neeson screen tested for this part and according to director Ken Cameron, gave a good performance. Neeson withdrew from the film when his rock group The Angels were offered a lucrative international tour about two to three weeks prior to principal photography starting. The role was re-cast with Colin Friels.
The rock band seen in the film was Divinyls who played their own songs and pretty much played themselves. The inclusion of the band was instrumental in the film appealing to a youth audience and providing the movie with a popular soundtrack and soundtrack album. Band singer Christina Amphlett even had a supporting role in the film playing Angela.
In early 1979, development of this film was postponed due to problems with financing. During the interim, this film's producer Patricia Lovell produced Gallipoli (1981).
This film was made and released around the same time as Winter of Our Dreams (1981), another Australian film that examined a human relationship within a background of a drug culture.
Appearing in this film, Alice Garner is the daughter of the film's source novelist, Helen Garner. As the novel was autobiographical, the film therefore is at least partially biographical for Alice Garner. Her mother was present during filming, to chaperone her daughter and act as script consultant.