Overview
Flaming Classics and O Cinema present “Warm Greetings from Florida: WILD THINGS” with performances by Opal Am Rah and Persephone Von Lips.
Filmed in and around Miami, WILD THINGS remains one of Flaming Classics’ favorite films of all time. In her examination of the film and its cultural context, Karina Longworth called the film a “post-modern noir.” WILD THINGS is trashy, sensational fun. And it knows it. From John John McNaughton’s sleek direction, scribe Stephen Peters’ rollercoaster of a screenplay, and a cast seemingly game for anything, the film is a quintessential erotic thriller. It’s a film that is all surface until it’s pulled away at the last moment. It’s a film in which identity, sexuality, and reality are slippery. Morality is gone in place of manipulation. A swampy noir, WILD THINGS is where greed and lust rule.
When teen debutante Kelly (Denise Richards) fails to attract the attention of her hunky guidance counselor, Sam (Matt Dillon), she cries rape, igniting a scandal that results in his arrest. Sam appeals to Ken (Bill Murray), a hack personal-injury lawyer who has never handled a case that couldn't be helped by a prop neck brace. Soon, a second victim, Suzie (Neve Campbell), comes forward, and Detective Duquette (Kevin Bacon) discovers that the unfolding case is far from what it seems.
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Flaming Classics electrifies the movie-going experience through a curated film series, pairing films from the queer canon with live performances from local drag artists to create a one-of-a-kind event for South Florida. Infused with a sense of social activism, community building, and fun, the series aspires to entertain and educate.
Each Flaming Classics event includes an introduction, a screening, and a tailored live performance. The juxtaposition of film history with queer performance produces a diverse audience and the idea of inclusion is a guiding force to the series. Connection and conversation are the two central tenets of Flaming Classics. By recontextualizing the cinematic experience and relocating the space of queer performance art, the series hopes to create a unique experience for the community.
Money, Sex, and Sweat. This new series explores the decadence and depravity of “Florida” with three films: SPRING BREAKERS, ZOLA, and WILD THINGS. United by the special place that is Florida, the trilogy explores desire, double-crosses, and crime. A heady-swampy mix of thrillers, noirs, and exploitation films, these three films converge into a meditative exploration of the geographic and cultural state of Florida. Each film radiates queerness both implicitly and explicitly.
The trilogy will feature a pair of resident performers: Opal Am Rah and Persephone Von Lips. Together the two will reinterpret each text with a unique performance combining music and spoken word from the films.