Farkhondeh Aghideh 1

Zahra Farkhondeh Aghideh

Dr. Katrin Horn
The Queer 90s
University of Bayreuth
August 2021

Representation of Gay Solidarity during AIDS Crisis in Gregg Araki’s The Living End

AIDS Crisis (1981–1995) targeted gay community greatly. While they were suffering from the
disease, they were blamed for spreading it. Urgent action was needed to highlight this issue which
was ignored by the US government for far too long. Gregg Araki, director, made The Living End
in 1992 during the same period when this catastrophe occurred. Belonging to the New Queer
Cinema movement, the movie raised the matter differently in comparison to its earlier cultural
products. According to some critics (Hart, “Boldly”; Hart, Images; Mills), downgrading the role
of death, while adding explicit sex scenes and a happy ending are the movie’s distinguishing
features. The end to this optimism and sense of survival of the AIDS as the shared goal of the two
protagonists can be linked to the gay solidarity. Thus, this study tries to analyze how the characters
stay together in coping with their difficult situation. In doing so, the bond between the characters
is going to be elaborated with the help of the revitalized themes in this movie. It is going to be
discussed how the protagonists use solidarity (emotional and physical bond) in surviving the
disease. In this regard, apart from considering the social and historical context of the time, different
scenes of the movie are argued.
The movie revolves around the lives of two HIV-positive gay lovers on the road…

Works Cited

Aaron, Michele. “New Queer Cinema: An Introduction.” New Queer Cinema: A Critical Reader,
edited by Michele Aaron, Rutgers University Press, 2004, pp. 3–14.
Araki, Gregg, director. The Living End. October Films & Strand Releasing, 1992.
Benshoff, Harry M., and Sean Griffin. Queer Images: A History of Gay and Lesbian Film in
America. Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, 2006.
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Ehrenstein, David. "Gay Film's Bad Boy." Review of The Living End. Advocate, 8 September
2008, 70.
Hart, Kylo-Patrick R. Images for a Generation Doomed: The Films and Career of Gregg Araki.
Lexington Books, 2010.
Hart, Kylo-Patrick R. “Boldly Representing AIDS Rage, Realities, and Risks: Gay Male
Characters and the Boundary.” Annual American Men’s Studies Association Conference,
2010, pp. 94–103.
Mills, Katie. “Revitalizing the Road Genre: The Living End as an AIDS Road Film.” The Road
Movie Book, edited by Steven Cohan and Ina Rae Hark, Routledge, 1997, pp. 307–329.
Nardi, Peter M. Gay Men’s Friendships: Invincible Communities. The University of Chicago
Press, 1999.
Pearl, Monica B. “AIDS and New Queer Cinema.” New Queer Cinema: A Critical Reader,
edited by Michele Aaron, Rutgers University Press, 2004, pp. 23–38.
Rich, Ruby B. “New Queer Cinema.” New Queer Cinema: A Critical Reader, edited by Michele
Aaron, Rutgers University Press, 2004, pp. 15–22.
Young, Damon R. “The Living End or Love without a Future.” Queer Love in Film and Television:
Critical Essays, edited by Pamela Demory and Christopher Pullen, Palgrave Macmillan,
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