A rare movie to find. If you find it, you are one of the few.

I think that this is a good movie for sexually confused teenagers to watch. I think that some kids can connect with it and know that they are not the only ones out there who have the same situations occur in their life as in this movie. Some good issues are brought up in this movie. Some real stereotypes are stepped on in this movie. This movie lets kids know that it's okay to be something other than hetero.

This is the first film from Gregg Araki, the man who made "Doom Generation" and "Nowhere". Like those films, the theme is the end of the world and features a backdrop of industrial music (Ministry, My Life With the Thrill Kill Kult, 16 Volt, etc.). The only difference is the lack of budget and big name actors (no Rose McGowan or John Ritter). We follow the lives of a group of gay and lesbian teenagers over the course of roughly two weeks. We see their struggles against oppression, their personal lives. An AOL user would summarize this films as "Buttsecks? O RLY? Ya RLY." but that's just ignoring the overall themes to focus on the more distasteful aspects of the film. If you're ans Araki fan or want a new experience, check this film out. It's not nearly as weird as his other films (no aliens or talking decapitated heads),but it will warp your perception of the world. And the end, while very abrupt, leaves something of a lasting effect.

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.