Totally F***ed Up

Thursday, September 19, 2024

Thursday, September 19 at 6:15 p.m.: Q&A with star James Duval after the screening

“In his fourth and best feature, TOTALLY F***ED UP, provocative and talented independent filmmaker Gregg Araki delves into the troubled world of gay teenagers. Araki here addresses the disproportionately high suicide rate among gay teens.

Principal among six friends, two of them a solid good-humored lesbian couple (Susan Behshid, Jenee Gill), is the lonely Andy (James Duval), an appealing youth with a James Dean look and vulnerability, who doesn’t believe love exists – until he’s swept off his feet by the handsome, slightly older but vastly more experienced lan (Alan Boyce).

Meanwhile, Andy’s pals Steven (Gilbert Luna), an aspiring filmmaker, and his lover Deric (Lance May) soon experience a crisis in their relationship when Steven strays, trying to blame it on the fact that the new guy in his life just happened to have a bootleg Nine Inch Nails tape to tempt him with. Rounding out the group is easygoing skater dude Tommy (Roko Belic). Araki effectively punctuates his story with quotes in the manner of one of his acknowledged idols, Jean- Luc Godard, and probing interviews with Steven, who’s always poking a camcorder in his friends’ faces.

Araki presents none of his young people, (all of whom are played so expertly by his cast) as gay stereotypes, and manages to create a spontaneous, off-the-cuff quality while actually maintaining tight control of his material.”


– Kevin Thomas, LOS ANGELES TIMES

Screening as part of the Teen Apocalypse Trilogy one night only on September 19

  • Country USA
  • Year 1993
  • Running Time 78 minutes
  • Format DCP
  • Distributor Strand Releasing
  • Director Gregg Araki
  • Cast James Duval, Roko Belic, Susan Behshid, Jenee Gill
  • Accessibility T-Coil, Assistive Listening

IFC Center does not generally provide advisories about subject matter or potentially triggering content in films, as sensitivities vary from person to person. In addition to the synopses, trailers and other links on our website, further information about content and age-appropriateness for specific films can be found on Common Sense Media, IMDb and DoesTheDogDie.com as well as through general internet searches.