Nicholas Cage won an Oscar for Best Actor for capturing the desperate intensity and pathetic self-loathing of Ben, a failed screenwriter whose alcoholism has pushes him to drink himself to death. Though as improbable a street whore as Julia Roberts in Pretty Woman, Elizabeth Shue brings Sera to life, artfully infusing her character with the edgy powerlessness of a prostitute that believes herself to be in control of her own life.

The doomed love affair these characters play out is both profoundly touching and disturbing; a tragedy of epic proportion. A brilliant film adaptation that captures the stylish darkness and grotesque power of the original novel. Winner of Best Film 1995 NY Film Critics Circle, and L.A. Film Critics Association.