Four Friends (1981 Arthur Penn)

An obscure cast: Craig Wesson (Body Double), Jodi Thelen, Michael Huddleston, Jim Metzler, Elizabeth Lawrence, Miklos Simon, Reed Birney (kid with ?polio - rather good), Julia Murray, Lois Smith, James Leo Herlihy.

"I love you like the pilgrim loves the Holy Land
And the wayfarer loves his wayward waves
Like the immigrant that I am loves America
And the blind man the memory of sad days."

Steve Tesich wrote in some ways an autobiographical story - he immigrated to the US from Yugoslavia aged 14, his father was a machinist. And that music played and used throughout is Czech immigrant Dvork's 'New World Symphony', for obvious reasons.

His career was short - Breaking Away (and the TV series - also about four friends), Eyewitness, this, Garp, American Flyers (Kevin Costner - another cycle themed story) and Eleni (New York writer returns to Greek homeland - another immigrant story).

Unsentimental, and pulls off some quite unexpected left turns, one of which - Thelen's stoner friend driving a car backwards out of an apartment block - we found quite funny. (How did they even get that car up there?) So yes, good story, unusual film, very unknown.

Loved the scene where he won't allow his car to be stolen (by Paul Greco). And the fight scene.

Shot by Ghislain Cloquet.