Although this melancholic road movie marked the directorial debut of ex-film critic Chris Petit, the influence of co-producer Wim Wenders is most readily evident, in everything from the stylised monochrome visuals to the prominence accorded a soundtrack that combines synth artiness (David Bowie and Kraftwerk) with raw post-punk energy (Devo and Wreckless Eric).
Yet Petit also pays homage to the Free Cinema realism of Lindsay Anderson in his depiction of the rural and industrial landscape between London and Bristol, as David Beames heads west to uncover the reasons for his brother's suicide.
Consequently, it's the documentary aspects that reveal more about early-'80s Britain than the various encounters en route, which are rather portentously scripted and awkwardly played.