The Doom Generation (1995)
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A pair of troubled teenagers embark on a violent, drug-fueled journey after an accidental killing during a late-night convenience store stop.
The story
Teenage lovers Jordan White and Amy Blue pick up a handsome drifter named Xavier Red while driving home from a club. After a late-night stop at a convenience store, the trio finds themselves on the run when X accidentally kills the store's owner. Forced to hide in a motel to avoid arrest, the group's dynamic becomes increasingly volatile. As they journey through the suburbs of Los Angeles, they encounter various violent situations and people who mistake Amy for former lovers, drawing the attention of the FBI.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
Teenage lovers Jordan White and Amy Blue pick up a handsome drifter named Xavier Red (nicknamed 'X') while driving home from a club. After X accidentally kills a convenience store owner, the trio flees to a motel. While hiding, X learns from the news that the owner's wife disemboweled her children before committing suicide, leading him to believe they won't be caught. Tensions rise as Jordan and X develop a lingering sexual attraction. While traveling through Los Angeles suburbs, they are harassed by people mistaking Amy for various ex-lovers, drawing FBI pursuit. The trio eventually spends a night in an abandoned warehouse where they engage in a threesome. While Amy is away, Jordan and X are attacked by neo-Nazis. One neo-Nazi rapes Amy on top of an American flag while the others beat X and cut off Jordan's penis with pruning shears, forcing X to swallow it. Amy eventually kills the neo-Nazis with the shears and escapes with X, leaving Jordan for dead. The film ends with Amy and X driving aimlessly on an empty road.
- First release year
- 1995
- Runtime (minutes)
- 83
- Production countries
- United States; France
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Gregg Araki
- Writers
- Gregg Araki · writer; Gregg Araki · co-editor; Gregg Araki · producer; Gregg Araki · director
- Cast and characters
- James Duval · Jordan White; Rose McGowan · Amy Blue; Johnathon Schaech · Xavier Red
- Genres
- black comedy; thriller; crime; independent; LGBTQ-related
- Themes
- nihilism; depravity of modern America; violence; drug use
- Tone and mood
- black comedy; nihilistic; deadpan; violent
- Premise and plot tags
- road movie; teen angst; crime; splatter
- Franchise connections
- Teenage Apocalypse film trilogy
- Content notes
- violence
- Reception
- The film received mixed reviews, with critics often comparing it both favorably and unfavorably to Oliver Stone's Natural Born Killers. It was praised for its style, themes and humor, but criticized for its story, tone, violence and visuals. It received critical acclaim at the San Francisco International Film Festival, where it was hailed as Araki's breakthrough.
- Reported review scores
- Rotten Tomatoes · score: 55% · review count: 40; Metacritic · score: 48 · scale: 100 · review count: 20
- Awards and nominations
- Best Debut Performance · Independent Spirit Awards · 11th · nominated
- Production trivia
- The film was billed as 'A Heterosexual Movie by Gregg Araki'.; The crew avoided well known landmarks and shot in undeveloped areas of urban sprawl to give an apocalyptic feel.; The film was initially acquired by the Samuel Goldwyn Company, but was dropped due to content objections.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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