Writer-producer-director Bill Bennett said of the genesis of this project: "I became intrigued by this place [the Trobriand Islands] at university and when I started to read more about it, the whole notion
of sex and freedom within a 'primitive' culture fascinated me, but my reading confirmed my suspicions
that it was more complex than was perceived, with strict social and moral codes," says Bennett. "I
became fascinated by the role of women and their status and power in a matrilineal society and thought it
would be an interesting place to set a love story about scientists in a conventional marriage being affected
by the sexual politics of the place."