A young hustler (Bobby Kendall) escapes from the harsh realities of street life and into a series of lushly erotic dream worlds while waiting for his next client in James Bidgood’s legendary underground classic. Hand-constructed and shot in Bidgood’s New York apartment over the span of seven years, Pink Narcissus was famously taken from its creators hands and finished by a team of editors hired by his financial backers. Unhappy with the results, he demanded that his name be taken off of the final film, which was released without much fanfare in 1971. 

Despite never being “completed” to Bidgood’s satisfaction, the film nonetheless has become a cornerstone of queer visual aesthetic whose influence can be seen in the work of Pierre et Gilles and thousands of gay Tumblrs. Having first resurfaced at Frameline9 in 1985, Pink Narcissus’s years-in-the-works (and Frameline co-funded) 4K restoration at last brings Bidgood’s stunningly beautiful erotic dreamscapes to life as they never have before. And if this is your first time experiencing it: prepare yourself.