The Lottery
When a heroin addict and a devout waitress with terminal cancer are thrown together by a stolen lottery ticket, their lives spiral into a fragile romance that tests the limits of faith, love and forgivenessA Brisbane-based independent feature film currently in pre-production
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Two short films made by the production team behind The Lottery - The Terror Cell
Set in the grimy undercurrent of 1990s suburban Melbourne, The Lottery is a lyrical and emotionally charged drama about connection, addiction, and redemption.
At its core are two unlikely characters: Claire, a principled, quietly resilient young woman, and Adam, a wayward, heroin-addicted loner lost in guilt and grief. Their lives collide after a moment of misfortune, and the consequences are life-altering.
Claire is juggling multiple jobs in a desperate bid to afford life-saving immunotherapy for her cancer. With no support from her religious family and no hope from the banks, her situation becomes increasingly desperate. One day, in the blur of stress and desperation, she buys a Tattslotto ticket only to have it stolen by Adam when she accidentally drops her wallet. The ticket ends up having the winning numbers and, rather than returning it, Adam and his best friend Ben use the sudden wealth to fuel their drug habits. Ben fatally overdoses and Adam is left alone, haunted, and spiritually numb.
Months later, seeking solace and human connection, Adam begins a quest to find Claire that eventually leads him to a brothel where she works. Driven by her cancer diagnosis and economic despair, Claire has chosen sex work as a last resort. Their encounter doesn’t unfold as expected. Claire, too new and too emotionally raw, stumbles through their session. Instead of sex, they talk, exchanging memories, secrets, and invented truths. Something between them shifts.
Over repeat visits, a bond grows. Claire lets down her guard, sensing Adam’s vulnerability, his humour, his gentleness. Adam starts to feel something genuine for the first time in years. Their connection grows intellectual, emotional and spiritual and, for Adam, Claire becomes the centre of a new gravitational pull, giving him reason to hope and to heal.
But the stolen lottery ticket hangs over them, hidden in the background, a hot shot about to be main-lined.