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.