Poison(Filmmaker in Focus Series All Those Magnificent Obsessions Allow: The Cinema of Todd Haynes)

Portmanteau films are not uncommon. But Poison is unique in its three interwoven storylines: an abject gay love in prison, a seven-year-old boy who commits patricide and a scientist morphing into an infectious monster. Todd Haynes uses the sense of ecstasy, the form of fake documentary, and the method of the B-Horror to tell the three stories respectively. Poison’s discordant and hybrid styles challenge mainstream cinema’s assumptions about consistency and completeness. Best Feature Film for Teddy Award at 1991 Berlin International Film Festival, and Grand Jury Prize (Dramatic Film Section) in Sundance Film Festival.