Gift. 1993. USA. Written and directed by Perry Farrell, Casey Niccoli. 80 min.
What would you do if you came home and found your wife dead? Written and directed by musician Perry Farrell of Jane’s Addiction and artist Casey Niccoli (who also co-edited and stars in the film), Gift is a gothic dark comedy about two junkies in love and their final night together. It’s an experimental, controversial, bona fide cult classic, especially for those who lived through the 1990s music scene. No-budget and independent to the core, Gift features a cast of real Los Angeles characters: a sleazy band manager, a bold dominatrix, drug dealers, and complicit band members. Filmed in 1990, during the recording of Jane’s Addiction’s album Ritual de lo Habitual, Gift was released three years later on VHS. Niccoli also directed several music videos for the band, including , “Classic Girl,” “Stop,” “Ocean Size,” and the award-winning “Been Caught Stealing.”