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Opening with a newspaper article on gay teen suicide, the tone of this early career Gregg Araki movie is set from early on as the film presents "15 random celluloid fragments" relating to the hardships of being young and homosexual in a predominantly heterosexual world. Araki's perpetual muse James Duval is solid as the closest the film has to a protagonist and some of the ideas that crop up (AIDS as a form of genocide) are decent, however, the film does not just consist of fragments, but is in fact completely fragmented as it jumps randomly between characters. None of this would be a problem if the characters were well fleshed out, but we barely get to know them outside of what they say in interviews. The supporting performances also vary from poor to adequate and the fact that all concerned mumble their lines is a poor aesthetic choice on Araki's behalf. 'Totally F***ed Up' is often cited as the first film in Araki's 'Teen Apocalypse Trilogy' alongside the vastly superior 'The Doom Generation' and 'Nowhere'. What makes both those films so remarkable is the way Araki weaves in fantastic and pseudo-scientific elements to symbolise the strangeness that the characters feel grappling with their sexuality. Both 'The Doom Generation' and 'Nowhere' are laced with semi-surreal comedic touches too. By comparison, 'Totally F***ed Up' is far more straightforward and serious-minded a tale. Evidently, this approach has appeal to some given the positive reputation that the film has built up over time, but suffice it so say, one's mileage will vary.
Arcadio Bolanos
Gregg Araki is a well known director for his controversial take on youth and homosexuality. There seems to be, however, a certain thematic present in most of his movies. "Totally F***ed Up", along with "The Doom Generation" and "Nowhere", is part of what one might denominate the James Duval Era or as the director has named it: "Teenage Apocalypse Trilogy". In these movies, the actor interprets different versions of the same character: a confused young man exploring his sexuality and trying to find his place in the world. It may sound predictable, but when one is in front of a Gregg Araki's production nothing is predictable.It would be unfair to claim that James Duval's character is the protagonist, certainly "Totally F***ed Up" is planned and executed as a polyphonic and multivalent narrative, and from the very beginning it showcases a cast of young people sharing their voices and thoughts with the spectator. They're all main characters, and that's part of the film's charm. Polyphony, as literary critic Bakhtin would explain it, implies a diversity of point of views and voices, there is not a unique vision but multiple visions. This goes beyond a simple angle change or a reinterpretation of an act from another character's perspective. Bakhtin said that no human voice could exist in itself, that in order for one human voice to exist other voices (dozens or thousands, the amount doesn't alter the equation) would be indispensable. According to his conception, truth is not what most people agree on, but rather a set of affirmations subtly linked with one another, even if sometimes they would appear to harbor contradictions or inconsistencies.It is in this sense that "Totally F***ed Up" is a polyphonic story. It entangles and exploits the lives of gay and lesbian teenagers. It merges conflict, sexuality and teen angst in one solid narrative. At moments it may rely too much on experimental approaches, but it catches the attention of the viewer from the first image. And it's that first image that functions as the prophecy from the Oracle of Delphi in Greek tragedies. However a prediction of something that will only happen in the last minutes is only fitting in an scenario in which sometimes the characters act like chorus members in a classic Greek tragedy. The chorus was essential for Greek tragedy because it allowed spectators to become emotionally involved while at the same time remain intellectually separated and removed from the theatric reenactment. The chorus is the one voice, pronounced by many, that tells the spectator when to shed a tear or when to sigh in relief, it accompanies the cathartic process but gives full power to the spectator, allowing him to disconnect himself at any time.These young homosexuals live in constant frustration. Whether it is the impossibility of the lesbian couple to raise a child together, or the impending cheating that shatters the gay couple, or the father's prejudice that ends up in the expulsion of his own son, or the inability of young Andy (James Duval) to define what it is he wants. Because, after all, Andy is not only struggling against his own insecurities and fears, he is also fighting against the structures, against what Lacan would call "reality"; it's perfectly understandable, then, that the ugliness of the Lacanian "real" should erupt in Andy's life. Classic Psychoanalytic theory used to say that homosexuality was the symbolic death of the individual, that due to the wrongfulness of their sexuality, homosexuals were dead in the eyes of society, and forever condemned to be outcasts. "Totally F***ed Up" is full of moments in which the spectator can contrast these kids experiences against the ideas and acts of other people, from the Southern politician that compares a gay pride to a march to hell, to the ads that insist AIDS is divine punishment, to the murderer of a gay man that says it's better to have one dead guy than one living gay, to the group of gay bashers that attack one of the main characters, etc.It's all there, the chorus stratagem that reunites a Bakhtinian polyphonic truth and the frustration that comes from this traditional psychoanalytical accusation of symbolic death, that at last proves that one single man, one individual's fierce fight against reality, is not enough and can be sadly condemned to the grimmest fate.
Infofreak
I've been watching Gregg Araki's movies out of chronological order and I think this has really adversely affected the way I'm seeing them. Being a big fan of the surreal, campy, pop art-y 'Doom Generation' and 'Nowhere' has meant that I've found his earlier more realistic movies difficult to enjoy.'The Living End' is one of his more conventional movies but at least it attempted some character development and a story-line. Unfortunately, 'Totally F***ed Up' doesn't have enough of either. It has plenty of anger sure, but it's semi-documentary look at disenfranchised gay teens fails to hold the interest throughout. It has a few good moments, but overall I had to fight to keep involved.The one really good thing about it is that it introduces the charismatic James Duval, who Araki would utilise better in his following two movies. Too bad his subsequent career has mainly seen him relegated to bit parts in (the no brainer) 'Independence Day' and (the admittedly enjoyable) 'Go'. He deserves better.So, if you didn't find much to enjoy in 'Totally F***ed Up' don't let it turn you off Araki completely. He far surpasses this in 'Doom Generation' and especially his most accomplished movie to date 'Nowhere' - a true 90s classic that deserves a larger audience!
Glamwog
How interesting - gay teenagers sit around and talk about themselves and their pathetic lives. Then one of them kills himself. That's it, the entire story. Shame on you for wanting to *enjoy* watching a film. Oh, but it's got a groovy soundtrack!! (And no, I am not heterosexual.)
