Symbols of American independent cinema of the 1990s, the three films by Gregg Araki that make up the trilogy Teenage Apocalypse have been re-released in theaters. Three films that speak frankly about homosexuality, youth and sex and that established Araki's style: radical, demanding, cool and profound.
In the mid-1990s, before gaining mainstream recognition with Mysterious Skin (2004) and Kaboom (2010), Gregg Araki directed three films in quick succession that, in his own words, form the "Teenage Apocalypse" trilogy: Totally F***ed Up (1993), The Doom Generation (1995), and Nowhere (1997). These films have no narrative connection to one another, but they explore the same themes: teenage distress and homosexuality during the AIDS epidemic in a large, sunny city. This nihilism, fueled by sex and drugs, is reminiscent of Bret Easton Ellis's novel Less Than Zero , published in 1985 and also set in Los Angeles.
Each of the three films stars the same lead actor, James Duval, a kind of alter ego of Araki, by turns melancholic ( Totally F***ed Up ), nihilistic ( Nowhere ), or hopelessly naive ( The Doom Generation ), like three sides of the same diamond. Classy, cool, and nonchalant, James Duval, discovered by Araki, carries the trilogy with his sensitivity. We continue to encounter this actor (now 52) in some of the wildest corners of American cinema. We also remember his striking appearance in Donnie Darko (2001), a nod from Richard Kelly to Gregg Araki, whose themes in this first film are similar. But he remains an actor who is all too rare, leaving a strong mark on the Teenage Apocalypse trilogy.
He's not alone. Gregg Araki's films are known for their ultra-charismatic characters, portrayed not by stars, but by the elite of the edgy cool scene of his time. Nowhere is populated by It-girls: Christina Applegate, Shannen Doherty, and Heather Graham make memorable cameos. We also encounter (partly because several of Araki's films are co-productions with France) cool kids from France, like Chiara Mastroianni in Nowhere , or Roxane Mesquida in several later films. Let's also mention Parker Posey, embodying a character as improbable as he is terrifying and brilliant in The Doom Generation , like an amphetamine- and LSD-fueled version of his character from The White Lotus . But in this second film of the trilogy, seemingly the closest to traditional cinema since it parodies Bonnie and Clyde- style crime road movies , the actress who steals the show is Rose McGowan. The future star of Scream and then Charmed plays a heroine as lucid as her companion (James Duval) is credulous, and who tempers the exacerbated virility of the third character in this strange trio (played by Johnathon Schaech).
Making his characters cool and classy, always impeccably styled but without appearing to be, isn't the only striking element of Gregg Araki's highly formalistic direction in this trilogy. We also find a visual passion for interior sets directly inherited from pop art (Andy Warhol is even referenced visually as early as Totally F***ed Up ). There's also a significant textual focus within the imagery, with ready-made phrases invading the urban space, from advertising slogans to biblical parables, by way of desperate words or commands (from " God Help Me " on a park bench to " Obey ," as in John Carpenter's They Live ). Finally, there's Gregg Araki's other great passion: music. "Music is very important to me , " we read in the credits of Totally F***ed Up . In each of the films, it indeed plays a very important role. The characters talk about music and wear band t-shirts. Often industrial metal or alternative rock: The Smiths, Ministry, Nine Inch Nails. In a pure punk spirit, Gregg Araki never uses music to enhance a scene or intensify its emotional impact. On the contrary, tracks are often heard muted during dialogue scenes, or abruptly during seemingly unrelated sequences. The music isn't a staging tool; it exists for its own sake. Thus, the three films that make up this trilogy may seem less accessible than some of the filmmaker's later works. But they retain the radicalism of an uncompromising mise-en-scène, which is their strength. They are not simply a portrait of this lost generation that the director knows well, having himself been born in Los Angeles just a few years earlier. They are their image. Thus, the Teenage Apocalypse Trilogy is a precious document of an era that is no longer quite our own. But it also continues, in certain aspects that resonate particularly with today's youth, to display a powerful and audacious modernity.
Gregg Araki Retrospective
Totally F***ed Up, The Doom Generation et Nowhere
Restored 2K and 4K versions
