The Naked lunch

William Burrough’s novel “The Naked Lunch” is one of the most acclaimed of Beat Generation writings. The visionary horror director, David Cronenberg, combines film-noir, horror and science-fiction to recreate Burrough’s expressionistic journey into a writer’s soul: an examination of the terrifying link between insanity and artistic inspiration. In a dream-like North African city, a group of American writers and artists immerse themsleves in drugs and sex, and occassionally in their artistic pursuits. Based closely on Burrough’s relationship with his wife - whom he accidentally killed - “The Naked Lunch”, though a novel that owes much to the grammar of cinema, was long considered unfilmable. Cronenberg’s attempt is audacious and ultimately successful. With Judy Davis, Peter Weller, Julian Sands and Roy Scheider. The haunting musical score is by Ornette Coleman.