Article:

Smells like Armageddon day – Dreamlike settings and magnified trash

The images of Gregg Araki’s “Teen apocalypse trilogy” seem to scream at you. For my audiovisual essay I decided to look at the environment the characters of his movies inhabit. Namely: signs and Tv screens in the background and unreal looking rooms. In the second part I decided to “come closer” and take a look at the (almost fetishized) objects that are presented to the viewer in close-ups. A lot of screen time is devoted to junk food, cigarettes or toys. A theme which connects all three movies as well as my essay is the idea that the world is going to end. The characters who are often lethargic and bored, talk about aids, the destruction of the planet and the apocalypse in general. All three movies are like a time capsule for 90’s aesthetics. Araki’s style got more extreme over the years.