Sci-fi is a lot like the moon landing or the assassination of JFK – a before-or-after proposition. The defining moment that changed sci-fi came on May 25, 1977, when the director of the fairly successful American Graffiti unveiled his update of the classic Western set in space with robots and laser cannons instead of gunfighters with sixguns.

After appearing in Hong Kong action film Legacy of Rage (Long zai jiang hu, 1986) and playing an assassin in David Carradine’s Kung Fu: The Movie (1986), Brandon Lee’s fighting ability caught the eye of the industry. Offered a contract by Fox, his movie career began in earnest.

It’s not a social comment about mental illness, depression, divorce or suicide but it could have been. First time feature director Roxburgh doesn’t preach, simply selecting snippets of Gaita’s life from the book with which to tell the story of the crippling relationship of love, awe, fear and forgiveness he shares with his Dad.