(released internationally as Tales of Ordinary Madness ) is a deeply polarizing, raw, and uncompromising exploration of the human underbelly. Directed by Italian provocateur Marco Ferreri and released in 1981, the film is an adaptation of the works and life of the legendary American underground poet Charles Bukowski.
Ferreri does a magnificent job capturing the pure, unadulterated sleaze of 1970s/1980s Los Angeles. Assisted by legendary cinematographer Tonino Delli Colli, the movie feels soaked in neon, sweat, and cheap whiskey. It effectively translates Bukowski’s "dirty realism" into a visual medium. Storie di ordinaria follia
The film follows Charles Serking (played by Ben Gazzara), a brilliant but wildly dysfunctional, alcoholic poet living in the seediest, most rundown corners of Los Angeles. Serking spends his days and nights drifting between dive bars, cheap motels, and chaotic sexual encounters with equally damaged women. (released internationally as Tales of Ordinary Madness )