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The Living End

Play trailer Poster for The Living End 1992 1h 32m Drama LGBTQ+ Play Trailer Watchlist
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73% Tomatometer 11 Reviews 60% 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

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Lisa Kennedy Denver Post 04/04/2008
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. Go to Full Review
Dave Giannini InSession Film 02/20/2024
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. Go to Full Review
D.M. Palmer Vague Visages 11/09/2023
The film’s characters set out to deface an edifice that has shut them out; they choose death over acceptance... Go to Full Review
Matthew Cibellis Southern Voice (Atlanta) 05/09/2023
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. Go to Full Review
Trey Graham Washington Blade 05/24/2022
4/4
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. Go to Full Review
Jason Shawhan Nashville Scene 09/10/2021
Perfect for a quarantine breakfast of beer and Barbie cereal. Go to Full Review
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Audience Reviews

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M G @QuntBizkit Dec 28 Badly written, badly directed, badly filmed & BADLY acted. A so-called comedy drama where the only laugh I got was from the terrible acting during a murder scene. A total dog egg of a film that was only ever produced to give pre-internet closet gay guys something to wank over on late night TV. Absolutely appalling. See more Sergio A @Sergio83 Jun 9 A barely passable cinematic exercise, made on a very low budget, that explores themes such as love, death, and the fear of illness. More than a fully realized film, it comes across as an experiment with occasional flashes of interesting ideas. See more 05/15/2015 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. See more 02/15/2015 As much as I love the 1990s, some pretty crappy stuff also came out of it. This film is one of them. See more 06/26/2013 Beautifully shot, with some interesting ideas, but not overly entertaining. See more 04/06/2013 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. See more Read all reviews
The Living End

My Rating

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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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