A Hollywood screenwriter who is drawn to emotional material incorporating spiritual and fantastic elements, Bruce Joel Rubin began working in films as co-director with Brian De Palma of "Dionysus in 69" and as an assistant director on De Palma's "Hi, Mom!" (both 1970). Following a turn as an assistant film editor at NBC, Rubin embarked on a quest for spiritual enlightenment which included stints on the Greek isle of Paros and in a Tibetan Buddhist monastery in Nepal. After three months of study at the latter, he was given 48 hours to leave by the Nepalese government, who suspected Rubin of