In a collaboration between Burroughs and director Howard Brookner the film explores Burroughs’ life story along with many of his contemporaries including Allen Ginsberg, Brion Gysin, Francis Bacon, Herbert Huncke, Patti Smith, Terry Southern, and Lauren Hutton.

The film travels from the American Midwest to North Africa, through defining moments of his wildly unconventional life, including several personal tragedies, ultimately charting the development of Burroughs’ unique literary style.

Howard Brookner began shooting the film in 1978 as his senior thesis at NYU; with Burroughs’ cooperation it subsequently expanded into a feature completed 5 years later in 1983.

Their friendship would endure for many years more and Burroughs would go on to play a cameo role in Brookner's final film Bloodhounds of Broadway.

Janet Maslin of The New York Times said of the film: "The quality of discovery about Burroughs was very much the director’s doing, and Mr. Brookner demonstrates an unusual degree of liveliness and curiosity in exploring his subject.

Some of the material contained never before seen out-takes of Burroughs: The Movie, including those with Andy Warhol, Patti Smith, Brian Jones and Brion Gysin.