The Living End (1992)

Luke is a gay hustler. Jon is a movie critic. Both are HIV positive. They go on a hedonistic, dangerous journey, their motto "Fuck the world".

Director:

Gregg Araki

Writer:

Gregg Araki

Stars:

Mike Dytri, Craig Gilmore, Mark Finch

1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Mike Dytri	...	Luke
Craig Gilmore	...	Jon
Mark Finch	...	Doctor
Mary Woronov	...	Daisy
Johanna Went	...	Fern
Darcy Marta	...	Darcy
Scott Goetz	...	Peter
Brett Vail	...	Ken (as Bretton Vail)
Nicole Dillenberg	...	Barbie
Stephen Holman	...	7-11 Couple
Magie Song	...	7-11 Couple
Peter Lanigan	...	Three Stooges
Jon Gerrans	...	Three Stooges
Jack Kofman	...	Three Stooges
Chris Mabli	...	Melrose NeoNazi (as Christopher Mabli)

Storyline

Luke is a gay hustler. Jon is a movie critic. Both are HIV positive. They go on a hedonistic, dangerous journey, their motto "Fuck the world".

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Plot Keywords:

human immunodeficiency virus | aids | gay | hustler | gay lead character | 

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Taglines:

An Irresponsible Movie by Gregg Araki

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama

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Certificate:

Unrated

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

21 August 1992 (USA)

Also Known As:

Viver Até o Fim

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$22,769 (estimated)

Gross USA:

$692,585

Company Credits

Production Co:

Desperate Pictures, October Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

81 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The ends credits finish with the following words: "Dedicated to Craig Lee (1954-1991) and the hundreds of thousands who've died and the hundreds of thousands more who will die because of a big white house full of republicans fuckheads".

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Quotes

Jon: I'm not going to fondle your crotch right now.
Luke: Why not?
Jon: Because I'm a responsible driver.

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Connections

References Made in U.S.A (1966)

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Soundtracks

Reactionary Lezbos With Gun Theme
Performed by Cambodia

User Reviews

Independent filmmaking at its best...

Gregg Araki is certainly one of the strangest directors ever to emerge in the genre of independent filmmaking, and "The Living End" is no exception to his unique style, which is reminiscent of Jean-Luc Goddard while maintaining an individuality that makes it clearly a film by Araki. I've heard the film described as a "gay 'Thelma & Louise,'" but I think this to be inaccurate. This film I think is far more powerful than "Thelma & Louise." Two HIV positive gay men, one the sensible-living perfectly normal Jon, the other the free-wheeling hustler Luke, who from the very first shot in the film we can tell has totally given up as he graffitis "F**k the World" on the wall. More typical Araki catches phrases run rampant throughout the film as these two men go on a road trip around the west coast trying to find something worth their time. What makes the film so powerful is the presentation of its message, rather than the message itself. The difference between sex and real love is subtlely explored as the relationship between Jon and Luke grows more and more complicated, as Luke's hairtrigger attitude often gets them in trouble and Jon steadily wanting to give up love to continue his life for as long as he can and as responsibly as he can, though it never seems to work. Sometimes it's not so subtle, but for the most part the notion of love between these two people is so skillfully handled that the air of sadness that hangs over them just resonates, in spite of the large number of humorous moments. The ending is so brutally sad, though totally unexpected. I won't give it away but you'll have to see it for yourself, it is a wonderful movie. It certainly is not for all tastes. However, if you can appreciate good cinema, then I think this film will not disappoint you. You might not like it, but it is a very powerful film.