Lending unfussy naturalism and emotional heft to its central lesbian relationship, Sayles’ sophomore feature remains a rarely-screened landmark of Sapphic cinema. Faculty wife and mother Lianna (Linda Griffiths) falls hard for her night-school psychology professor (Jane Hallaren) and is forced to come to terms with a newfound identity when her philandering husband (Jon DeVries) kicks her out of the house. Set in and around a New Jersey university, the film is bathed in autumnal hues and features Sayles himself as a sleazy suitor.

Print courtesy of UCLA Film & Television Archive

With director John Sayles and producer Maggie Renzi in person