Desperate Living

The ‘Pope of Trash' John Waters serves up this deliriously demented punk rock fairytale set in the garbage dump kingdom of Mortville.

"The anarchism and sense of societal decay that propelled the punk rock movement inhabits every frame of Desperate Living. From the moment we see that dinner plate and meet neurotic Baltimore housewife Peggy Gravel (Mink Stole) we're plunged into a beautifully bizarre punk-inspired fantasy only John Waters (Pink Flamingos, Hairspray) could have so perfectly created. Kinkiness, perversity and utter hilarity are the order of the day as Peggy and her 400-pound lesbian maid become killers and wind up in Mortville, a crazy fascist state populated by skid row bums and ruled by wicked Queen Carlotta (the immortal Edith Massey). Fairy-tales don't get any more fractured or funny than this." (Sydney Film Festival)

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