Poison (1991 film) explained

Poison
Director:	Todd Haynes
Screenplay:	Todd Haynes
Based On:	Three novels by Jean Genet
Narrator:	Richard Hansen
Music:	James Bennett
Cinematography:	Maryse Alberti
Distributor:	Zeitgeist Films
Runtime:	85 minutes^[1]
Country:	United States
Language:	English
Budget:	$250,000^[2]
Gross:	$787,280

Poison is a 1991 American science fiction drama horror film written and directed by Todd Haynes, starring Edith Meeks, Larry Maxwell, Susan Gayle Norman, Scott Renderer, and James Lyons.

Composed of three intercut narratives inspired by the novels of Jean Genet, the gay themes in Poison marked an emerging "queer new wave" in cinema. The film received generally positive reviews.

Narratives

Three stories intertwine throughout the film, named in the closing credits:^[3]

• Hero: A seven-year-old shoots his abusive father and then flies away, depicted in the style of a 1980s tabloid television news magazine.
• Horror: A scientist isolates the "elixir of human sexuality" and, after drinking it, is transformed into a murderous leper, portrayed in the style of a psychotropic 1960s sci-fi horror B movie.
• Homo: A prisoner finds himself attracted to another inmate, reunited after meeting as youth in a juvenile facility, with scenes alternating between a gritty prison film and recollections evoked as pastoral fantasy.

Cast

Segment: Hero

Segment: Horror

Segment: Homo

Release

After a world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival on January 11, 1991,^[4] Zeitgeist Films acquired distribution rights,^[5] giving Poison a limited release starting April 5, 1991.^[6]

Controversy

U.S. culture war conservatives such as Senator Jesse Helms and Rev. Donald Wildmon of American Family Association denounced the "explicit porno scenes of homosexuals involved in anal sex".^{[7] [8]}

Reception

The film received generally positive reviews.

Awards and nominations

• Berlin International Film Festival Teddy Award for Best Feature Film, 1991 (winner)
• Fantasporto Critics' Award, 1992 (winner); International Fantasy Film Award Best Film, 1992 (nominated)
• Independent Spirit Awards Best Director, 1992 (nominated); Best First Feature, 1992 (nominated)
• Locarno International Film Festival Golden Leopard, 1991 (nominated)
• Sitges - Catalan International Film Festival Special Prize of the Jury, 1991, "For keeping the subversive values inherent to any genuine poetry in force"
• Sundance Film Festival Grand Jury Prize - Dramatic, 1991 (winner)

Notes and References

1. Web site: Poison (18). British Board of Film Classification. August 15, 1991. July 5, 2013.
2. Web site: Focusing on Glam Rock's Blurring of Identity. The New York Times. Stephen. Holden. Stephen Holden. November 8, 1998. October 23, 2016.
3. https://www.sundance.org/blogs/transcendent-transgression-looking-back-at-todd-haynes-poison/ Transcendent Transgression: Looking Back at Todd Haynes’ “Poison” - sundance.org
4. Web site: When 'Poison' Was a Cinematic Antidote. The New York Times. Dennis. Lim. November 5, 2010. October 23, 2016.
5. Web site: Zeitgeist Films at 20 Years: Building a Boutique Brand. Indiewire.com. Eugene. Herandez. June 26, 2008. October 23, 2016.
6. Web site: Review/Film; 'Poison,' Three Stories Inspired by Jean Genet. The New York Times. Vincent. Canby. April 5, 1991. October 23, 2016.
7. Web site: Michael. Koresky. On the Margins: Todd Haynes's Poison. The Criterion Collection. June 11, 2021. April 15, 2024.
8. Web site: Maohai. Deng. Poison. Senses of Cinema. March 2015. April 15, 2024.