Skip to main content

The Living End

By Golu
Neo-noir movie, a gay Thelma and Louise are some of the ways to describe this film. Released back in 92, I can see the film being relevant and doing quite alright for its audience. There is something that people could connect to, but I don't think it was relevant much today, not from a story perspective but from the message it is trying to give (Is it trying to give a message?). The film at least doesn't take the route of self pity after being disgonsed with AIDS and our protagonists wanting to live their life on their own terms. 

The story is really simple. Jon and Luke, one os film critic and the other is a hustler are both HIV positive and a chance encounter enables them to rethink their life. Rather than self pity, they decide to take life head on and life their remaining life on their terms and decide to go on a road trip. The film follows these young guys on this road trip as they rediscover love with one another and as they discuss sex, death and the afterlife, and begin to come face to face with their fate.

The film doesn't trivialize AIDS in any way. What it does instead is give vibrant, angry substance to the phrase "till death do us part." The two characters could not be more different from one another. Compared with the more conventional Jon, Luke seems a real rebel, but the two soon overcome their differences to begin a fervent love affair. When they begin having sex, Jon forces himself to acknowledge his recent diagnosis, but Luke's response is typically cool. "Welcome to the club, partner," Luke has seen more of the real world in his time (including witnessing a murder), compared to Jon who has had a relatively stable sheltered life. uses crime as a way of extricating its characters from everyday society, and not as an occasion for passing moral judgment on their behavior. Getting out is what matters, not getting even. Its hard to judge films like this and it would be a very personal opinion. I can see some people really liking this movie for it does have a lot of perspectives to offer leading to some very interesting discussions. But, somehow the film didn't connect with me at a level that I would have wanted it to. You be your own judge on this one. (3.5/10)
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Shortest Distance is Round 3: Fallen Flowers

By Golu
Continuing with the weird trilogy of "The Shortest Distance", I am so glad that finally I am done with part 3 and won't have to deal with this again in future. Thankfully, as of now the makers have not announced any further parts; which will save all of us on this earth from the embarrassment of watching this in near future. After the first 10 minutes are used in sort of recapping bits of first two parts, the story moves forward. Haruto is now starting to have feelings for Ruka, the mysterious pole dancer from second part. In a fit of rage, Ruka ends up killing the goat man and to save him and Haruto, Shibahara asks them to go underground. Meanwhile Shibahara continues the search for Seiya (the guy who had cut off Haruto's penis). It turns out Seiya is now also taking care of the original club owner from part 1. Both of them were released after they had informed Shibahara of Aoyama's secret location. Shibahara tortures Seiya's boyfriend leading to Seiya killin
5 comments
Read more

One Summer Night (Korean)

By Golu
I really wanted to like this film but for non native speakers, these movie leaves a lot to be understood and the way scenes were unfolding in front of me, I wasn't sure many times what was really going on. The story had potential button getting any back story on any of the characters limited my ability to empathize with any of these actors. Film starts with two North Korea military guys Yong Joon and Jae Sung having sex and they are caught red handed and they run. Three years later we see Yong Joon in Seoul leading a very mundane and poor life. He has a boyfriend Tae-Kyu, who is a weird guy. He is carefree, doesn't do any work and is completely emotional and financially dependent on Young Joon. In fact, even Yong Joon will go to any lengths to protect him , fend for him and taking care of him to the extent of even taking up prostitution. Suddenly one day Jae Sung appears in their life again. His motivation is not clear but it is obvious he wants Yong Joon back in his life, who
Post a Comment
Read more

Ultimate masturbation: Shigoki no yama (Japanese) [The Ultimate Masturbation]

By Golu
I would never know what was the point behind making this film. Was it supposed to be a comedy, cos it wasn't. It wasn't even porn. It was just a silly attempt at making something absolutely senseless and ridiculous. The story, as well as direction is equally shoddy. You could laugh for having seen something so bad, but I wouldn't call that comedy. An old man runs a camp about gay masturbation. The explanation given is that gays masturbate for pleasure unlike straight men, for whom the act is seen as shame or because they can't find a woman. One day a straight man shows up and wants to join the camp for his thesis. After discussion, he is allowed in. Rules include that you can masturbate together, you can masturbate one another, but there is no fellatio or anal sex. Some students of course breaks rule. The teacher then talks about 2 forms of masturbation which gives ultimate pleasure. He shows one without touching and then refuses to talk of the other. Somehow suddenly,
Post a Comment
Read more