It is not surprising that Variety back in 1986 missed the elegiac, Greek classical Myth quality of this film. And not so surprising that there is only one comment on your db considering their downbeat revue. I'm not a druggie fan at all and had little idea of the 'story' when I saw this movie at the NFT in London recently. I was moved and certainly persuaded of the inevitable and elegiac qualities of the way the tale was told. One accepts the 'unhappy' ending without complaint - it IS inevitable. How great to see a movie with a proper understanding of the language of film: exceptional camerawork and editing(how about that excellent table-football sequence?)and wonderfull soundtrack - both REAL sounds and music - THAT'S what gave it the timeless mythical quality - not the rather un-imaginative directorial input: the two climaxes - the dash to hospital and finding the dead-girl's junk were rather overdone, overlong and lifeless and most of the well acted dualogues were shot in boring singles. But I also appreciated the very handsome young men and their ice-blue jeans and was sorry Jon never took to taking up the offer of selling his body for drugs to the beautiful macho drug dealer! The one shot of the Police in the political background was an haunting sadistic homoerotic image of mustachioed man in van. I left the screening full of grey San Sabastian and the feeling of being 'cold'.
