490:“Cinematic violence, for Araki, is used to combat the widespread labelling of people with AIDS as parasitic victims, an association that was ‘emphatically rejected’ by both support groups and political activists throughout the epidemic.” Luke’s character channels the built-up anger and frustration of queer communities who were victimized and villainized by the same American government that ostracized them and disregarded the illness. There is even explicit mention of violence against politics and for activism. Luke suggests going to Washington and shooting Bush in the head or “better yet hold him at gunpoint and inject him with our blood”. This scene speaks to the impending death by AIDS that both gay male characters live with and brings the injustice that there would be research for a cure or aid if the president himself had HIV. It also can serve as a comparison that the death which they face is worse than a gunshot because it is slow and painful, both psychologically and physically, whereas death by a gunshot is often quick and fatal.
440:
uneasiness by reassuring Jon that he knows what was going to be disclosed and that it is “no big deal”. Luke even goes to say “welcome to the club” revealing that he is also HIV-positive. For Luke’s character, he has come to terms with his HIV health status and adopts his reckless behaviour accordingly. Seeing death through Luke’s eyes, he holds a greater importance for living in the moment, love, and sex. Luke brings a sense of freedom to this pair’s shared newfound health status which is seen through the “provocative images of bareback gay sex, blowjobs behind the steering wheel, S&M, and related phenomena not frequently seen up to that point in U.S cinema.”
494:
fact, Gregg Araki brings this idea as he “makes use of a specific form of disembodied, withdrawn violence in order to disassociate this act from the connotations of contagion attached to queer bodies throughout popular historical discourse.” In one scene, Araki’s conscious choice of cinematography and focus on the men being shot by Luke’s gun even works to “emphasize the source of violence as being external to the body of the person with AIDS." In short,
436:
one cause of death for US men aged 25-44.” Considering this context, death is portrayed in different ways throughout the movie and represents what was felt by gay men. These same people who were “harshly blamed for the spread of the virus. At the same time, the institutions of the society were negligent of the thousands of people who were dying of the disease.”
493:
The use of a gun by Luke is seen in almost every violent scene in the movie. At once, he uses it as a way to become powerful against authority figures and assault homophobic police and gay-bashers. Moreover, the gun can symbolize the epidemic of AIDS as not being exclusively associated to gay men. In
538:
to be "a candid, freewheeling road movie" with "the power of honesty and originality, as well as the weight of legitimate frustration. Miraculously, it also has a buoyant, mischievous spirit that transcends any hint of gloom." She praised Araki for his solid grasp on his lead characters' plight and
443:
Death is a looming theme throughout the movie and the plot naturally unfolds because of it. Whether it be Jon and Luke’s relationship in their shared death from AIDS to the assaults and murders of Luke which are continuously followed by the duo driving away in their car to escape the consequences.
435:
of the 1980s and 1990s, the movie positions itself within the public discourses circulating at this time in the United States of
America that being HIV-positive is being sentenced to death. Robert Mills states that the movie release in 1992 was also “the year that AIDS officially became the number
472:
philosophy in their nihilistic situation where they wield guns, extinguish their enemies, hit the road, and have unsafe sex.” The movie makes use of scenes with humour and joy demonstrating that there can still be life despite the presumed death from AIDS. For
Michael D. Klemm, “most of the love
456:
ideas brought on by Luke. The mottos and graffities shared throughout the movie illustrate his thoughts of “fuck the world”, “I blame society”, “fuck the system”, “fuck the police” and “fuck everything”. Without a doubt, these messages all come in response to the movie’s production in the United
439:
For Jon’s character, his recent diagnosis of HIV comes as a shock, and is accompanied by his fear and denial. Meeting Luke’s character, the weight that Jon’s news holds for him can be seen as he struggles to find the words to tell Luke that he is HIV-positive. Luke’s character receives this
29:
481:
as it expands the representations of gay men to go beyond the first decade of the AIDS epidemic. A time when television and the media “consistently pathologized and demonized gay men as ‘AIDS killers.’ ”
468:
progressively becomes adopted by Jon through their relationship and understanding of each other’s situation. By means of their car, they “aren’t distracted by preachy morality, but are guided by a
995:
452:
B. Ruby Rich describes the main characters as “one bored and one full of rage, both of them with nothing to lose." The despair felt in the face of death from AIDS coincides with the
1026:
1105:
461:. Jon, Luke, and the queer community at large, already faced discrimination for their sexual orientation, but now, also for their HIV-positive health status.
1416:
1411:
1396:
1391:
1381:
661:
498:’s representations of violence seek to deconstruct the preconceived ideas that AIDS, its epidemic, and death tolls, are uniquely linked to gay men.
444:
Even at the climax of the movie, it is understood and seen that death is waiting for them yet the movie ends with them escaping from it once again.
1046:
1376:
1356:
1351:
1346:
1166:
833:
1191:
614:
477:
the most explicit male love scenes I’d ever seen at that point) and their love story is often quite touching.” This film makes its mark in
1069:
1371:
1366:
1361:
1016:
1341:
798:
1201:
1386:
1406:
577:
praised the movie, calling it "a vicious punch in the guts that leaves you uncomfortably winded and unforgettably moved".
458:
581:
571:
a "savagely funny, sexy and grieving cry" made more heart-rending by "Hollywood's gutless fear of AIDS movies". The
253:
Luke is a restless and reckless drifter and Jon is a relatively timid and pessimistic film critic. Both are gay and
1401:
1159:
987:
772:"AIDS Crisis and Frustration in <i>THE LIVING END</i> The Story of Two Sexually Active HIV Positives"
1291:
519:
432:
392:
522:, assigned the film a score of 65 out of 100, based on 15 critics, indicating "generally favorable" reviews.
858:
651:
415:
400:
384:
242:
1251:
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141:
1059:
1336:
1241:
1231:
1021:
900:
541:
418:. Braindead Soundmachine guitarist Cole Coonce is credited with scoring the film's original music.
1271:
1099:
839:
733:"Violent bodies and victim narratives: On the cinematic activism of Gregg Araki's The Living End"
530:
229:
1221:
1128:
878:
829:
794:
752:
706:
507:
396:
1064:
965:
870:
821:
744:
698:
478:
360:
234:
130:
111:
1261:
1139:
929:
546:
511:
388:
874:
635:
28:
1312:
934:
380:
310:
1330:
1281:
656:
585:
573:
564:
558:
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States political context where gay men were being bashed and shamed for starting the
273:
126:
75:
605:
525:
372:
291:
285:
220:
955:
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for not trivializing it or inventing an easy ending. Conversely, Rita
Kempley for
403:
during the film's credits. Early in the movie, Luke is seen wearing a JAMC shirt.
1175:
702:
550:
407:
391:
sticker is on the dashboard of Jon's car. The film's title comes from a song by
371:
music. Many references to bands and their members are made throughout the film.
347:
224:
42:
988:"Review/Film Festival: The Living End; Footloose, Frenzied and H.I.V.-Positive"
1133:
960:
924:
545:
called the film pretentious and Araki a "cinematic poseur" along the lines of
515:
376:
324:
279:
258:
80:
882:
756:
710:
514:, 75% of 12 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 6.8/10.
843:
815:
748:
364:
686:
732:
825:
465:
453:
368:
342:
261:
police officer, they go on a road trip with the motto "Fuck everything."
1122:
473:
scenes between Jon and Luke are as tender as they are steamy (and they
771:
791:
Images for a
Generation Doomed: The Films and Career of Gregg Araki
411:
257:
positive. After an unconventional meeting, and after Luke kills a
314:
1148:
338:
Craig Lee and Torie
Chickering as the arguing couple at Ralph's
1144:
254:
320:
Peter
Lanigan, Jon Gerrans, and Jack Kofman as Three Stooges
1068:. No. 34. Melbourne, Australia: Senses of Cinema Inc.
793:. United Kingdom: Rowman & Littlefield. p. 133.
395:, and a cover version of the JAMC song is performed by
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In a letter (dated
September 25, 1992) to playwright
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117:
105:
97:
89:
68:
56:
48:
38:
21:
1094:. New York Public Library for the Performing Arts.
406:The film features music by the industrial bands
1160:
8:
737:Queer Studies in Media & Popular Culture
241:was nominated for a Grand Jury Prize at the
1167:
1153:
1145:
1104:: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (
27:
18:
901:"Radical Politics, Guerrilla Filmmaking"
885:– via Taylor & Francis Online.
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557:, she concluded, "is mostly annoying".
1097:
227:. Described by some critics as a "gay
894:
892:
233:," the film is an early entry in the
7:
1192:Three Bewildered People in the Night
859:"Gregg Araki and the Queer New Wave"
817:New Queer Cinema: The Director's Cut
726:
724:
722:
720:
680:
678:
615:British Board of Film Classification
1417:English-language comedy-drama films
875:10.17953/amer.20.1.g7573623866408h3
1412:English-language independent films
14:
1060:"My Own Private New Queer Cinema"
1397:LGBTQ-related comedy-drama films
1392:LGBTQ-related black comedy films
1382:American road comedy-drama films
359:The film's soundtrack is mostly
1072:from the original on 2021-03-19
1029:from the original on 2012-11-11
998:from the original on 2021-03-19
664:from the original on 2021-03-19
986:Maslin, Janet (3 April 1992).
789:Hart, Kylo-Patrick R. (2010).
1:
1377:1990s road comedy-drama films
1357:Films directed by Gregg Araki
1202:The Long Weekend (O' Despair)
1058:Adnum, Mark (February 2005).
770:Aghideh, Zahra (2021-01-01).
1352:1990s English-language films
1347:American LGBTQ-related films
731:Mills, Robert (2017-09-01).
588:called the film "dreadful."
703:10.1215/02705346-18-1_52-85
306:Nicole Dillenberg as Barbie
1433:
1372:American independent films
1367:HIV/AIDS in American films
1092:Letters from Quentin Crisp
899:Klemm, Michael D. (2008).
1362:Films shot in Los Angeles
857:Yutani, Kimberly (2019).
820:. Duke University Press.
687:"AIDS and Gay Cinephilia"
379:is mentioned, along with
156:August 21, 1992
33:Theatrical release poster
26:
1342:1992 LGBTQ-related films
1292:White Bird in a Blizzard
1090:Patrick, Robert (1992).
956:"The Living End Reviews"
584:, LGBT writer and actor
393:The Jesus and Mary Chain
16:1992 film by Gregg Araki
749:10.1386/qsmpc.2.3.309_1
385:Echo & the Bunnymen
1387:1992 independent films
814:Rich, B. Ruby (2013).
776:University of Bayreuth
685:Hallas, Roger (2003).
416:Braindead Soundmachine
401:Braindead Soundmachine
332:Michael Haynes as Jane
243:Sundance Film Festival
660:. 21 September 1992.
641:Retrieved 2010-05-27.
329:Michael Now as Tarzan
1407:1990s American films
826:10.2307/j.ctv11hpp0s
431:Released amidst the
297:Darcy Marta as Darcy
142:Cineplex Odeon Films
1232:The Doom Generation
1022:The Washington Post
905:www.cinemaqueer.com
542:The Washington Post
309:Stephen Holman and
303:Bretton Vail as Ken
300:Scot Goetz as Peter
230:Thelma & Louise
219:is a 1992 American
1017:"'The Living End'"
992:The New York Times
531:The New York Times
341:Jordan Beswick as
335:Peter Grame as Gus
270:Mike Dytri as Luke
1402:Gay-related films
1324:
1323:
1222:Totally F***ed Up
835:978-0-8223-5411-6
639:– Box Office Mojo
508:review aggregator
397:Wax Trax! Records
350:as Twister master
323:Chris Mabli as a
212:
211:
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1236:
1226:
1216:
1206:
1196:
1169:
1162:
1155:
1146:
1110:
1109:
1103:
1095:
1087:
1081:
1080:
1078:
1077:
1065:Senses of Cinema
1055:
1049:
1044:
1038:
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1035:
1034:
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1007:
1006:
1004:
1003:
983:
977:
976:
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972:
952:
946:
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943:
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925:"The Living End"
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652:"The Living End"
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623:
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520:weighted average
479:New Queer Cinema
235:New Queer Cinema
163:
161:
131:Strand Releasing
112:Sascha Konietzko
31:
19:
1432:
1431:
1427:
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1425:
1423:
1422:
1421:
1327:
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1310:
1299:
1289:
1279:
1269:
1262:Mysterious Skin
1259:
1249:
1239:
1229:
1219:
1209:
1199:
1189:
1178:
1173:
1140:Rotten Tomatoes
1119:
1114:
1113:
1096:
1089:
1088:
1084:
1075:
1073:
1057:
1056:
1052:
1045:
1041:
1032:
1030:
1015:
1014:
1010:
1001:
999:
985:
984:
980:
970:
968:
954:
953:
949:
939:
937:
930:Rotten Tomatoes
923:
922:
918:
909:
907:
898:
897:
890:
856:
855:
851:
836:
813:
812:
808:
801:
788:
787:
783:
769:
768:
764:
730:
729:
718:
684:
683:
676:
667:
665:
650:
649:
645:
634:
630:
621:
619:
604:
603:
599:
594:
547:Jean-Luc Godard
518:, which uses a
512:Rotten Tomatoes
504:
488:
450:
429:
424:
389:Nine Inch Nails
357:
267:
251:
173:
166:
159:
157:
150:
133:
129:
122:
120:
110:
85:
63:
61:
34:
17:
12:
11:
5:
1430:
1428:
1420:
1419:
1414:
1409:
1404:
1399:
1394:
1389:
1384:
1379:
1374:
1369:
1364:
1359:
1354:
1349:
1344:
1339:
1329:
1328:
1322:
1321:
1319:
1318:
1313:Now Apocalypse
1307:
1305:
1301:
1300:
1298:
1297:
1287:
1277:
1267:
1257:
1247:
1237:
1227:
1217:
1212:The Living End
1207:
1197:
1186:
1184:
1180:
1179:
1174:
1172:
1171:
1164:
1157:
1149:
1143:
1142:
1135:The Living End
1131:
1124:The Living End
1118:
1117:External links
1115:
1112:
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1047:The Living End
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935:Fandango Media
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743:(3): 309–321.
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746:
742:
738:
734:
727:
725:
723:
721:
717:
712:
708:
704:
700:
697:(1): 85–126.
696:
692:
688:
681:
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675:
663:
659:
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657:Rolling Stone
653:
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1074:. Retrieved
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1031:. Retrieved
1020:
1011:
1000:. Retrieved
991:
981:
971:November 20,
966:Fandom, Inc.
959:
950:
938:. Retrieved
928:
919:
908:. Retrieved
904:
869:(1): 83–92.
866:
862:
852:
844:j.ctv11hpp0s
816:
809:
790:
784:
775:
765:
740:
736:
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666:. Retrieved
655:
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631:
620:. Retrieved
618:. 1992-12-18
613:
607:
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579:
572:
568:
559:
554:
540:
535:
529:
526:Janet Maslin
524:
505:
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373:Joy Division
358:
292:Johanna Went
286:Mary Woronov
252:
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228:
221:comedy-drama
215:
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172:Running time
149:Release date
1272:Smiley Face
1176:Gregg Araki
551:Andy Warhol
348:Paul Bartel
225:Gregg Araki
109:Cole Coonce
101:Gregg Araki
93:Gregg Araki
60:Jon Gerrans
57:Produced by
52:Gregg Araki
43:Gregg Araki
39:Directed by
1337:1992 films
1331:Categories
1304:Television
1076:2021-03-19
1033:2021-03-19
1002:2021-03-19
969:Retrieved
961:Metacritic
910:2024-01-31
668:2021-03-19
622:2013-07-06
592:References
516:Metacritic
470:carpe diem
454:nihilistic
377:Ian Curtis
361:industrial
311:Magie Song
280:Mark Finch
259:homophobic
205:Box office
176:84 minutes
160:1992-08-21
119:Production
81:Mike Dytri
49:Written by
1100:cite book
883:0044-7471
757:2055-5695
711:1529-1510
502:Reception
365:post punk
282:as Doctor
245:in 1992.
208:$ 692,585
121:companies
98:Edited by
64:Jim Stark
62:Marcus Hu
1252:Splendor
1070:Archived
1027:Archived
996:Archived
662:Archived
510:website
486:Violence
466:hedonism
448:Nihilism
399:artists
369:shoegaze
343:Buddhist
325:Neo-Nazi
288:as Daisy
223:film by
200:$ 22,769
189:Language
106:Music by
69:Starring
1242:Nowhere
940:May 23,
506:On the
464:Luke’s
313:as the
294:as Fern
237:genre.
192:English
181:Country
158: (
1316:(2019)
1295:(2014)
1285:(2010)
1282:Kaboom
1275:(2007)
1265:(2004)
1255:(1999)
1245:(1997)
1235:(1995)
1225:(1993)
1215:(1992)
1205:(1989)
1195:(1987)
881:
842:
832:
797:
755:
709:
567:found
534:found
422:Themes
414:, and
317:couple
276:as Jon
197:Budget
840:JSTOR
610:(18)"
427:Death
412:KMFDM
355:Music
1183:Film
1129:IMDb
1106:link
973:2022
942:2024
879:ISSN
830:ISBN
795:ISBN
753:ISSN
707:ISSN
549:and
475:were
408:Coil
367:and
315:7-11
265:Cast
249:Plot
1138:at
1127:at
871:doi
822:doi
745:doi
699:doi
528:of
375:'s
255:HIV
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1102:}}
1098:{{
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383:,
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