Desperate Living

Thursday, June 25, 2026

Thursday, June 25 at 9:10: Extended introduction by John Waters

John Waters and The Criterion Collection present a new 4K restoration of DESPERATE LIVING, sourced from the original 1977 16mm camera negatives and the original mono 1/4” magnetic soundtrack.

Following the unrepentant outrageousness of PINK FLAMINGOS and FEMALE TROUBLE, director John Waters brought his notorious trash trilogy to a fittingly twisted close with this antifascist fairy tale. After hysterical housewife Peggy Gravel (Mink Stole) murders her husband with the help of her fed-up housekeeper (Jean Hill), the newfound “sisters in crime” escape to the bizarro shantytown of Mortville, a depraved penal colony presided over by a despotic queen (Edith Massey) whose tyranny pushes her subjects to shocking revolt. Deviant cops, death by dog food, DIY surgery—Waters unleashes all this and more in an at once relentlessly warped and oddly moral vision of queer rebellion.

“Here’s what I love best about Criterion’s restoration of Desperate Living; the detail of Van Smith’s costume and Vincent Peranio’s production design, some of which I saw for the first time after watching again, and glimpses of nudity I never noticed before.” —John Waters

Previously screened as part of our midnight series Sicks by John Waters

  • Country USA
  • Year 1977
  • Running Time 90 minutes
  • Format 4K Restoration
  • Distributor Park Circus
  • Director John Waters
  • Cast Liz Renay, Mink Stole, Susan Lowe, Edith Massey, Mary Vivain Pearce
  • Accessibility Assistive Listening, T-Coil

IFC Center does not generally provide advisories about subject matter or potentially triggering content in films, as sensitivities vary from person to person. In addition to the synopses, trailers and other links on our website, further information about content and age-appropriateness for specific films can be found on Common Sense Media, IMDb and DoesTheDogDie.com as well as through general internet searches.