Return of the Secaucus Seven marks the directorial debut of young novelist-screenwriter John Sayles, whose previous credits include the screenplays for three recent Roger Corman productions. Shot on a budget of $60,000, with a cast and crew many of whom make their feature debut in the film, it was chosen for the New York Museum of Modern Art's New Directors series, and received a standing ovation at L.A.'s Filmex.

What the Village Voice calls a “revisionist youth film” about the weekend reunion of seven 30ish college and Vista comrades, all of whom were arrested en route to a Washington anti-war demonstration once upon a time, is something of a cross between Jonah, Who Will Be 25 in the Year 2000 and American Graffiti: amid almost non-stop, witty and believable dialogue which both re-hashes a shared past and moves relationships forward in the present, the friends play together, make love, and try to get a grip on the future.

Sayles, who plays one of the principal roles in a cast hailed for its naturalness, is called an important new talent by Filmex's Paul Bartel, and his film “highly personal, perfectly realized.”