Championed by Godfather director Francis Ford Coppola, the film was picked up for US distribution. Stars like Madonna and Sean Penn attended the LA premiere. But the films shocking subject matter and startling imagery were too rich a combination for audiences at the time. The film vanished from sight, becoming an instant cult classic - much written about but seldom seen. Now it is reappraised as one of the most underrated films of the 1980's.

Taking his cue from stories by cult American author Charles Bukowski, Deruddere's film tells the story of a man's life via three nights, spread over 20 years. We see his hero, Harry Voss, first as a romantic young boy of 12, then as an acne ridden teenager, lost in unrequited love, and finally as a drink sodden drop out, for whom no act is too dreadful to contemplate...with terrible and yet deeply moving consequences.

It's a film that, once seen, is never likely to be forgotten. A film with a unique, bitter sweet and poetic mood that manages to be funny and tragic at the same time. A minor masterpiece, ripe for rediscovery.