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The Living End

Play trailer Poster for The Living End Released Aug 14, 1992 1h 32m Drama LGBTQ+ Play Trailer Watchlist
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73% Tomatometer 11 Reviews 61% Popcornmeter 1,000+ Ratings
A drifter (Mike Dytri) and a film critic (Craig Gilmore) hit the road as fugitives and as gay lovers who are HIV positive.
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The Living End

Critics Reviews

View All (11) Critics Reviews
Lisa Kennedy Denver Post It is visually vibrant (in a wonderful on-the- cheap kind of way). But its insightful fury is undercut by thrashes of immaturity. It's engaged with culture and angry at it. Apr 4, 2008 Full Review Steve Davis Austin Chronicle Rated: 3.5/5 Oct 2, 2002 Full Review Dave Giannini InSession Film The Living End challenges to the very end, leaving us unsure of both where Jon is headed and how we are meant to feel about it. If you have never seen any of Araki's films, The Living End, given its simple structure, is the perfect place to begin. Feb 20, 2024 Full Review D.M. Palmer Vague Visages The film’s characters set out to deface an edifice that has shut them out; they choose death over acceptance... Nov 9, 2023 Full Review Matthew Cibellis Southern Voice (Atlanta) Many of the questionable cinematic choices dissolve, revealing some great screen moments between Jon and Luke. Araki spells out the bittersweet torment of their affair in striking detail throughout. May 9, 2023 Full Review Trey Graham Washington Blade Gregg Araki could barely have bought a car for what little he spent making The Living End... but it's a good thing he didn't opt for an auto, because Living End is one great road trip. Rated: 4/4 May 24, 2022 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

View All (71) audience reviews
Audience Member I admit I've a very personal connection to this film. I saw it in my early 20's when I was at my most political regarding AIDS. For out queer men who were either in their 20s or 30's this movie was a sort of angry road trip movie that was both cathartic and tragic. Though it is very low budget and has more than a few flaws - it does deserve mention for capturing a cultural moment in American Queer Culture. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 02/22/23 Full Review Audience Member As much as I love the 1990s, some pretty crappy stuff also came out of it. This film is one of them. Rated 2 out of 5 stars 01/28/23 Full Review Audience Member Beautifully shot, with some interesting ideas, but not overly entertaining. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 02/11/23 Full Review Audience Member I remember really liking this movie back in the 90's. Was excited to see it on DVD for rental. Well, I have to say I had forgotten most of the story apart from it being a road trip movie about two men living with AIDS, so I was interested to see if it was as good as I remembered. Though it's obviously dated now, I still found it quite compelling viewing with a unique style. Craig Gilmore in particular is great as Jon. Very sympathetic character. Won't be for all, is pretty bleak and confronting, but I found it worth the rewatch. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 02/22/23 Full Review Audience Member This provocative film teeters between shockingly disturbing scenes and happy-go-lucky humor. The emotion and uncertainty created around the main character learning his HIV-positive status carried my interest through the entire movie. Having said that, the positive relationship that develops between the main characters and the film's ability to find humor in the face of death give it an added boost. While many of Akira's other movies are known for being over-the-top, the acting and dialogue in this film all seemed genuine and appropriate for the setting. The film's finale fails to deliver closure to the story, however, it manages to provide enough direction to the story to satisfy this viewer. The Living End is at least commendable for confronting social issues that many would prefer left alone. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 02/16/23 Full Review Audience Member I wanted to like this film more than I did. I figure it was the fact that I didn't feel like the actors truly loved each other. I guess it was the acting that got in the way. Rated 2 out of 5 stars 02/18/23 Full Review Read all reviews
The Living End

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Cast & Crew

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Movie Info

Synopsis A drifter (Mike Dytri) and a film critic (Craig Gilmore) hit the road as fugitives and as gay lovers who are HIV positive.
Director
Gregg Araki
Producer
Marcus Hu, Jon Gerrans
Screenwriter
Gregg Araki
Distributor
Strand Releasing
Genre
Drama, LGBTQ+
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Aug 14, 1992, Original
Release Date (Streaming)
Jul 23, 2013
Box Office (Gross USA)
$29.7K
Runtime
1h 32m
Sound Mix
Mono
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