Poison (1991)

Plot Summary

From the Oscar-nominated director of “Far from Heaven,” “I’m Not There” and the new HBO mini-series “Mildred Pierce,” this controversial masterpiece is the most fervently debated film of the 1990’s and a trailblazing landmark of Queer Cinema. Todd Haynes’ second feature—after the underground sensation “Superstar: The Karen Carpenter Story”—this groundbreaking American indie is thrilling work of immense visual invention. Inspired by the writings of Jean Genet, Poison deftly interweaves a trio of transgressive tales—“Hero,” “Horror” and “Homo”—that build toward a devastating climax. “Hero,” shot in mock TV-documentary style, tells a bizarre story of suburban patricide and a miraculous flight from justice; “Horror,” filmed like a delirious ’50s B-movie melodrama, is a gothic tale of a mad sex experiment which unleashes a disfiguring plague; while “Homo” explores the obsessive sexual relationship between two prison inmates. A runaway hit which made national headlines when it was attacked by conservative figures including Dick Armey, Ralph Reed and Minister Donald Wildmon, Poison is audacious, unforgettable and thoroughly entertaining.