The Living End
Director: Gregg Araki
Writer: Gregg Araki
Cast: Mike Dytri, Craig Gilmore, Mary Woronov, Johanna Went, Mark Finch, Darcy Marta, Scott Goetz
Seen on: 26./27.5.2026

Content Note: rape, (critical treatment of) homomisia

Plot:
Luke (Mike Dytri) is a sex worker with an HIV diagnosis who decides to fuck it all and do whatever he wants. Jon (Craig Gilmore) is a movie critic who just got his own HIV diagnosis. When Luke hitches a ride with Jon, they connect. After spending the night together, Jon decides to join Luke on his nihilistic quest, but Luke’s excesses and violence are hard for Jon to take. But he finds himself drawn in despite himself.

The Living End is billed as a comedy and a drama (and a road movie), but I have to admit that I found very little of it actually funny. Nevertheless, it is engaging in a forceful way that makes it very watchable.

Shot in the early 90s, when the HIV/Aids epidemic was at its height, the film, I think, is an important testament to the helpless rage that must have come with that for queer people everywhere, especially gay men. It makes the film feel very raw (and how could it have felt processed already?). Luke, then, is that rage made flesh. His desire to live is evident, and he fights against everyone who tries to curtail him in any way because he can’t fight the illness that is actually threatening his life. Although there are plenty of people who also threaten his life here.

Jon, on the other hand, tries to hold on to his civility a little longer, but faced with the Luke’s force, how could he resist him? It goes so far that he even sticks with him when that force turns against him. This leads to the most troublesome moment in the film – its very end. [SPOILER] Luke rapes Jon. Afterwards Jon hits him, leaves – and then returns and cuddles up with Luke. [/SPOILER] For me, this leans too much into narratives of victims having to forgive their abusers because they are going through hard times or something to be actually conciliatory in any way.

I also have to say that I found a lot of the film a little exhausting because Luke just is a lot to take. Rightly so, probably, and there is something to be said for making the audience feel the exhaustion that Luke fights so hard against, but it is still a little hard to stomach when watching the film. I was glad I had to divide the movie up and watch it in two parts, otherwise I would have probably felt it even more strongly.

Despite some hesitation on my part, it is definitely a film worth seeing still, especially if you want to know about the beginnings of HIV and Aids. Plus, despite everything (also everything I’ve written here), it does manage to find a bit of humor in it all. That is certainly something to behold.

Summarizing: not easy to watch but worth the work.