Reviewers found this art film extraordinarily grating even for a film of the "high art" genre but admitted that some of its imagery was striking and original. The ostensible subject of this basically storyless film, shot with black-and-white and color segments, is the depressing, aimless, and futureless life of a sodden former trumpet player in the slummiest sections of Los Angeles. However, the main theme seems to be the imagery the film captures of the bleakest and most decayed portions of that famous city. Another plus is the film's jazz-oriented soundtrack.