Hal Hartley's first feature is widely hailed as one of his best, if not the best of his quirky oeuvre. The story is simple (unlike his recent work, which has ventured into the inexplicably complex), featuring a mysterious ex-con (Robert John Burke) who returns to his Long Island hometown after his release from prison, eventually falling for the daughter (Adrienne Shelly) of his new employer. Of course, it's not a straight romance -- it's a witty diatribe on social interaction, the threat of world war, and the penal system. All of it is punctuated with Hartley's strange dialogue cadences reminiscent of David Mamet. Recommended.