Neither avant-garde nor sensationalist, Sayles' early films were essentially regional, but in a region that critics don't find notably exotic. The interview, by the way, is about his forthcoming film Amigo, about the little known Philippine-American war. Seven baby boomers with ties to the antiwar movement of the '60s get together for a weekend at the home of teachers Mike (Bruce MacDonald) and Katie (Maggie Renzi). I was dimly aware back then of Return of the Secaucus 7; but, despite enjoying several other John Sayles films, only got to see the film for the first time about a year ago. A recent interview with veteran indie film director John Sayles prompted us to take a closer look at his fascinating career. J ohn Sayles’s Return of the Secaucus 7 may not have invented American independent film as we know it (many of its supposed innovations had been previously seen in films by John Cassevetes, Eagle Pennell, and Charles Burnett), but it certainly gave shape, for better and for worse, to a subgenre that’s proven particularly lucrative ever since. I remember The Big Chill as a guilty pleasure when I first saw it, all those years ago. His film debut was Return of the Secaucus Seven (1979), about a group of friends reminiscing about getting arrest at a 1960s protest years ago. Synopsis. Seven baby boomers with ties to the antiwar movement of the '60s get together for a weekend at the home of teachers Mike (Bruce MacDonald) and Katie (Maggie Renzi). John Sayles started his career as a self-styled working-class novelist, then worked as a screenwriter for exploitation maven Roger Corman before making his self-financed directorial debut with 1980's Return Of The Secaucus 7. Return of the Secaucus 7 (Writer/Director John Sayles) was released in 1980. Watch Return Of The Secaucus Seven movie trailer and get the latest cast info, photos, movie review and more on TVGuide.com.