Every Gregg Araki Movie, Ranked

The final installment in Araki's "Teenage Apocalypse Trilogy," Nowhere follows a day in the bizarre, hedonistic lives of Los Angeles teenagers Dark (frequent muse James Duval) and Mel (Rachel True) as they navigate toxic relationships, bizarre alien encounters, and existential dread. Featuring an eclectic ensemble cast including Denise Richards, Ryan Phillippe, and Christina Applegate, the film amplifies Araki's trademark neon aesthetics and pop-art visuals to an extreme degree.

While fans of the director appreciate the film's unhinged energy and late-'90s camp, mainstream critics found its frantic pacing, surreal plotlines, and cynical atmosphere overwhelming, leading to mixed-to-negative reviews upon its release. Nowhere nevertheless found its audience, and was recently inducted into the Criterion Collection. The film, partly inspired by the soapy population of Twin Peaks' pilot episode, would be followed up by unaired MTV pilot This is How the World Ends, which plays like Nowhere 2.0. 

"Nowhere is Araki's most accomplished film yet, and if it never quite comes together, it's still a wildly entertaining film." —Nathan Rabin, The A.V. Club

The second chapter of the "Teenage Apocalypse Trilogy," The Doom Generation stars Rose McGowan and James Duval as disaffected teenagers Amy Blue and Jordan White, who pick up a mysterious, chaotic, and sexy drifter named Xavier Red (Johnathon Schaech). What ensues is a violent, hyper-sexualized road trip through an apocalyptic American wasteland filled with surreal encounters, gratuitous bloodshed, and cameos from Parker Posey, Margaret Cho, and Perry Farrell.

Self-described by Araki as a "heterosexual movie," the film split critics down the middle. Some praised its unapologetic punk-rock attitude and stylish nihilism, while others dismissed its deliberate grotesquerie and bleak worldview as an exercise in shallow shock value.

"Striking to look at, though often offensively opportunistic, this mainly comes across as a throwaway shocker with energy to spare. There's not much thought in evidence though." —Jonathan Rosenbaum, Chicago Reader

In this adaptation of writer/poet Laura Kasischke's lyrical, unsettling novel, Araki tones down his usual manic energy for a moody, 1980s-set mystery drama. Shailene Woodley stars as Kat Connors, a 17-year-old girl coming of age just as her enigmatic mother (Eva Green) mysteriously vanishes. As Kat navigates her blossoming sexuality and investigates her mother's disappearance, she uncovers uncomfortable truths.

While critics praised the magnetic performances of Woodley and Green alongside Araki's lush, dreamlike visual direction, many felt the mystery structure lacked tension, and that the film struggled to reconcile its subtle coming-of-age narrative with Araki's darker thematic impulses. Soon after the film's ultra-limited release, Araki would pivot to directing in television on such acclaimed shows a s Red Oaks, American Crime, 13 Reasons Why, and his own series Now Apocalypse .

"Misses the energy and vitality of Gregg Araki's best work, but there's more going on here than immediately meets the eye." —Jamie Graham, Total Film

Moving away from the violent nihilism of his earlier work, Splendor is Araki's glossy, pastel-hued take on the traditional romantic comedy. The film revolves around Veronica (Kathleen Robertson), an L.A. woman who finds herself torn between two very different men: a sensitive writer (Matt Keeslar) and an eccentric rock drummer (Johnathon Schaech). Rather than choosing between them, she invites both to enter a polyamorous relationship.

While critics appreciated Araki's lighter touch and sincere exploration of unconventional relationships, many felt the film's breezy charm was undercut by lightweight characterizations and a predictability atypical of the director's best work. Notably, Splendor's soundtrack, which features standout tracks by Slowdive, Lush, Blur, Suede, Everything But The Girl as well as remixes by Locust, My Bloody Valentine, Chicane, Moby, and Mad Professor, is arguably more vital than the film itself. 

"Araki graduates from his usual obsession with teenage angst in this neon-lighted comedy, but fails to hit the visual and verbal high notes he strains so hard to reach." —David Sterritt, Christian Science Monitor

Serving as the inaugural film in Araki's "Teenage Apocalypse Trilogy," Totally F * ed Up provides an intimate, quasi-documentary look at six gay youths living in Los Angeles during the height of the AIDS crisis and the accompanying rampant homophobic hostility. Utilizing direct-to-camera interviews, lo-fi cinematography, and raw dialogue, Araki captures the collective anxiety, alienation, and camaraderie of queer youth during a turbulent era.

Reviewers commended the movie for its authentic voice, urgency, and poignant emotional core, establishing Araki as a crucial figure in the New Queer Cinema movement despite the film's micro-budget visual constraints. This would also be the first of many collaborations with Araki and star James Duval. 

"Araki's self-described 'guerrilla' style of filmmaking has just the right edge here, yet is polished enough not to distract. In this respect, Totally F***ed Up is a much better film than Araki's last effort, The Living End. Although the teenaged ennui in the film sometimes comes off as hip nihilism, there's no question that the pain and turmoil depicted is anything but heartfelt." —Steve Davis, Austin Chronicle

Kaboom marks a playful, hyper-saturated return to the wild apocalyptic teen comedy roots that made Araki famous in the 1990s. Thomas Dekker (Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles) stars as Smith, a bisexual college student whose routine life of dorm parties and casual hookups is upended when he stumbles into a bizarre, cultish conspiracy involving mysterious masked men and world-ending prophecies.

Premiering at the Cannes Film Festival—where it won the first-ever Queer Palm— Kaboom was lauded by critics for its infectious campiness, witty dialogue, and effortless visual style, serving as a joyous celebration of Araki's signature tropes. It also has a standout turn from future Ted Lasso star Juno Temple. 

"Kaboom does have an excellent punchline, although even at 86 minutes it feels too long-mainly because Araki can't help letting his camera linger over his performers. Hard to blame him-he's assembled the best-looking cast in town and it's largely his gaga appreciation that makes the movie so much fun." —J. Hoberman, Village Voice

Often hailed as a landmark of New Queer Cinema, The Living End is Araki's furious, low-budget "queer Thelma & Louise." The film follows two HIV+ men, Jon (Mike Dytri), a quiet film critic, and Luke (Craig Gilmore), a reckless drifter, who embark on a nihilistic road trip across America with a gun and an anarchic attitude.

Shot on a shoestring, with a reported $20,000 budget, the movie resonated deeply with critics for its raw rage, dark humor, and unvarnished depiction of queer life during the AIDS pandemic, solidifying Araki's reputation as an uncompromisingly rare and desperately needed cinematic voice.

"You can view the film narrowly as commentary on the soul-crushing fury of being HIV positive, or take a few steps back and see Araki's film in a more universal sense as the disintegration of human values caused by an obsessive culturewide drive for self-satisfaction and indifference to others. The Living End is much more than a time capsule, thanks to Araki's daring as a filmmaker." —David Wiegand, San Francisco Chronicle

In Araki's long-awaited return to feature filmmaking, I Want Your Sex stars Cooper Hoffman as Elliot, a fresh-faced youngster who lands a job working for provocative artist and gallery owner Erika Tracy (Olivia Wilde). Elliot soon finds himself drawn into Erika's complex world as she recruits him to be her personal sexual muse, launching a chaotic game of obsession and power dynamics.

Critics hailed the film, which also stars Chase Sui Wonders, Mason Gooding, and Charli xcx, as a thrilling, humorously provocative entry in Araki's canon that tackles modern generational attitudes toward intimacy with sharp satire, even if its Sunset Boulevard -inspired dark thematic turns divided some reviewers.

"Even with relatively minor quibbles, it's hard [to] not feel appreciation that a contemporary movie made in an uncompromised fashion about such a cinematically unpopular topic as sex exists at all. Hopefully, Araki doesn't take another 12 years off and continues to probe into other areas of modern human interaction." —Cody Dericks, Next Best Picture

A delightful departure from Araki's darker, provocative themes, Smiley Face is a lighthearted stoner comedy starring Anna Faris in a tour-de-force comic performance. Faris plays Jane, a struggling actress who accidentally consumes a plate of cannabis-laced cupcakes and embarks on a disastrous quest across Los Angeles to replace them while trying to pay for her electric bill and attend an audition.

Critics praised Araki's sharp direction and brilliant comedic timing, with many calling Faris's slapstick performance one of the finest in the genre. The film, written by Dylan Haggerty (and the first of Araki's movies that he didn't have a hand in writing), remains a low-key fan favorite and a fave for the 420 crowd. 

"Gregg Araki's delirious Smiley Face is an unabashed valentine to Anna Faris, an opportunity for the actress to show that she can carry a movie composed of often hilarious nonstop misadventures." —Kevin Thomas, Los Angeles Times

Standing atop Araki's filmography is Mysterious Skin, a powerful and haunting adaptation of Scott Heim's novel. The film traces the divergent lives of two small-town Kansas boys dealing with the aftermath of a shared childhood experience: Neil (Joseph Gordon-Levitt), a reckless escort, and Brian (Brady Corbet), an isolated young man obsessed with alien abductions.

Directed with remarkable sensitivity, grace, and visual beauty—and featuring an emotionally ethereal score from Cocteau Twins' Robin Guthrie and composer/instrumentalist Harold Budd— the film earned widespread acclaim from critics. Gordon-Levitt's star-making performance and Araki's mature, empathetic handling of difficult subject matter make Mysterious Skin his undisputed masterpiece.

"With Mysterious Skin, Araki burrowed into the hearts and minds of his audience, looking to provide his viewers with Neil and Brian's deeper understanding of how to piece together a fractured life, then go looking for the fragments that are still buried deep." —Noel Murray, The Dissolve