Lianna is in her 30s living in a small city in New Jersey. She has two kids, and her husband Dick is a professor. Her marriage is no longer happy as Dick is hypocritical and bossy and even cheats on her. To overcome the weariness, Lianna takes a college course on child psychology with her friend Sandy during which she falls in love with the teacher, Ruth. Realizing her sexual identity through the relationship with Ruth, Lianna decides to break up with Dick. Although Dick has been cheating on her, he threatens Lianna for having a lesbian affair. Meanwhile, Ruth feels uncomfortable, as Lianna wants to live with her.
Director Sayles calmly depicts a common, middle-class housewife, coming out and fighting against social bias all by herself. Sayles completed the movie’s scenario before his 1979 debut movie . However, he was unable to find a production investor due to the social bias against a male director telling a lesbian story. After the success of his first film as well as his second (), he was finally able to raise the funds to complete . His balanced view on the issue with no voyeuristic element made the movie successful, dispelling all doubts and concerns.

John SAYLES

Beginning with ///Return of the Secaucus 7/// (1979) the films of John Sayles have been integral to the development of Independent Film in the United States. His films depict a world very different from the version offered by Hollywood. Sayles career as a storyteller began with his fiction which brought Sayles to the attention of legendary Director/Producer Roger Corman. One of his films ///Passion Fish/// (1992) won Sayles his first Academy Award nomination for Best Original Screenplay. Sayles continues to work for hire on features and television series.