WATCH: ‘Thelma And Louise’ get a sexy, homoerotic spin in this long-forgotten gay road trip dramedy
The Living End getting made.After a chance encounter, hunky drifter Luke (Mike Dytri) and shy film critic Jon (Craig Gilmore)—both HIV positive—go on the lam when Luke kills a homophobic cop.
With no destination in mind, they adopt the motto “F*ck everything” and follow the road wherever it takes them, discussing their status, having plenty of sex, and even plotting to kill the President along the way.
At the time, critics referred to it as “the gay Thelma and Louise.”Related: Never Forget: awesome movies to commemorate World AIDS DayFrom visionary queer director Gregg Araki (Mysterious Skin, Kaboom), The Living End was born out of the ’90s indie film explosion, an early example of the decade’s New Queer Cinema movement.
Like many of those films, this darkly comic roadtrip drama was a direct response to the AIDS epidemic that had been ravaging the community, and it’s fueled by an entire generation’s worth of fears and frustrations.Still, The Living End maintains a wry sense of humor throughout, and there’s a genuine, sexy spark between its stars, which keeps the mood arch and fun, even as Luke and Jon appear to be barreling toward oblivion.On the eve of its 30th anniversary this summer, New Jersey’s QSpot LGBT Community Center will be hosting a repertory screening of The Living End for Pride Month on June 19, officially re-launching QFest, the state’s LGBTQ film festival.
