Two of Gregg Araki’s most iconic films are set to be re-released in digitally remastered versions. The ‘The Doom Generation Digital Remastered Version’ will hit theaters nationwide starting November 8th (Friday), followed by the ‘Nowhere Digital Remastered Version’ on November 15th (Friday), beginning with screenings at White CineQuinto in Shibuya, Tokyo.
Gregg Araki is a well-known American director who spearheaded the 1990s “New Queer Cinema” movement, which challenged the heterosexual norms of the time and the traditional filmmaking that supported them. He is recognized as a leading figure in indie culture, and in 2010, he won the Queer Palm at the Cannes Film Festival for his film ‘Kaboom!’.
‘The Doom Generation’ (1995) tells the story of Jordan and Amy, a young couple, and Xavier, a drifter who joins them, as they embark on a nightmarish road trip across America, encountering psychos and oddballs along the way. Araki, who consistently focuses on teenagers and portrays the real lives of LGBTQ+ characters, said that in response to a producer’s offer to increase the budget if he made a heterosexual film, he wanted to create “the queerest heterosexual movie ever” in a rebellious and punk style, while outwardly presenting it as a heterosexual film. The film’s soundtrack features a stellar lineup of artists beloved by music fans, including PIZZICATO FIVE, Nine Inch Nails, Slowdive, The Jesus and Mary Chain, Cocteau Twins, Aphex Twin, and The Verve.
‘Nowhere’ (1997) portrays the bright yet tragic day in the lives of young people wandering in search of eternal love in a chaotic world. Set in Los Angeles, where a mysterious alien appears and strange events unfold one after another, the film follows the youth as they experience “the day of reckoning” at a rollercoaster-like pace. The soundtrack boasts contributions from iconic shoegaze and alternative rock musicians, including Slowdive, Massive Attack, Sonic Youth, The Chemical Brothers, Blur, Portishead, Marilyn Manson, Radiohead, and Suede.
These two films, along with ‘Totally F***ed Up’ (1994), are collectively known as the “Teen Apocalypse Trilogy,” each focusing on the lives of teenagers. Gregg Araki has explained his fascination with this subject, saying, “I love making films about teenagers. There’s an unforgettable thrill in their ‘hormone-driven lives.’ They’re fascinating because they live and die ten times a day, embodying what I feel about the world.” At the same time, he has positioned his films as being “for outsiders, punks, queers, and anyone who doesn’t quite fit into society or the community.”
The digitally remastered versions being released this time will be Director’s Cuts, including scenes of explicit sexuality that were reluctantly cut when the films were first released.
The Doom Generation
Cast: Rose McGowan, James Duval, Jonathan Schaech
Producers: Gregg Araki, Nicole Arbibe, Andrea Sperling
1995 / USA, France / Color / Vista / 5.1ch / English / 84 min
Japanese Subtitles: Minami Sato
Original Title: The Doom Generation
Rating: R-15+
Distributor: Parco
Promotions: Parco, SUNDAE
©1995 UGC and the Teen Angst Movie Company
Nowhere
Director, Screenplay, Editing: Gregg Araki
Cast: James Duval, Rachel True, Nathan Bexton, Chiara Mastroianni, Debi Mazar, and others
Producers: Gregg Araki, Nicole Arbibe, and others
1997 / USA, France / Color / Vista / English / 5.1ch / 83 min
Japanese Subtitles: Natsumi Cho
Original Title: Nowhere
Rating: R-15+
Distributor: Parco
Promotions: Parco, SUNDAE
©1997. All rights reserved. Kill.
