New no-budget neo-underground film by the maker of the stirring The Living End. He shot it more or less at the same time, but post-production was eventually delayed for two years. Araki shot everything on location with super8 video material and 16mm film, with a minimal crew.Totally F***ed Up is a candid portrait of six gay young men wrestling with their identity in the homophobic nineties; their life is dominated by alienation. Araki: ‘Like all mymovies, Totally F***ed Up comes from a number of inspirations. One of the initial sparks was the article about the disproportionate percentage of gay teen suicides which begins the film. Another was a small news item about a troubled gay who killed himself by drinking caustic soda and drowning in his family’s swimming pool. And I felt a need to respond to the endless barrage of institutionalised homophobia – from the media, from ignorant politicians, from rabid cultural “watchdogs”. And of course, there is my intense admiration for Godard – most especially Masculin Féminin, which is paid homage to and clearly the primary influence here. A kinda twisted cross between avant-garde experimental cinema and a queer John Hughes flick, this is my most challenging, high-risk and heartfelt movie yet.’
