Liquid Sky
A delirious New York punk science-fiction nightmare where alien hunger, fashion, drugs, and fluid sexuality collide.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Brisk
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- Moderate
- surreal
- provocative
- darkly funny
- cult movie night
- late night viewing
What critics said
Critics broadly celebrate its audacious, inventive fusion of queer underground culture, science fiction, camp, and punk aesthetics, despite its deliberately rough and unconventional execution.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Anne Carlisle plays both the androgynous model Margaret and her male counterpart Jimmy, while bisexual desire and shifting presentation shape the social world.
The alien incursion unfolds among apartment dwellers, fashion models, drug users, disco nightlife, and punk-inflected urban outsiders.
The film joins alien predation to orgasmic pheromones, fashion imagery, bizarre performances, and darkly comic punk-era excess.
The aliens abandon their search for heroin after discovering that human pheromones generated during orgasm are more desirable.
Films like Liquid Sky, and why
Born in Flames
shared underground science fiction, queer transgression, surreal imagery, and countercultural energy
The Untamed
shared body-centered speculative premise, sexual politics, arthouse experimentation, and unsettling humor
Decoder
shared punk aesthetics, gender fluidity, alienation, and provocative genre hybridity
Rocky Horror Picture Show
shared campy science fiction, queer subtext, theatrical excess, and cult sensibility
Movie Details
- Director
- Slava Tsukerman
- Release Date
- 1982-08-01
- Runtime
- 113 min
- Rating
- 5.8 / 10 (146)
Cast
- Anne Carlisle
- Paula E. Sheppard
- Bob Brady
- Susan Doukas
- Elaine C. Grove
- Stanley Knapp
- Jack Adalist
- Otto von Wernherr
- Lloyd Ziff
- Harry Lum
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- Night Flight Plus
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Liquid Sky about?
- A delirious New York punk science-fiction nightmare where alien hunger, fashion, drugs, and fluid sexuality collide.
- What is Liquid Sky like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Liquid Sky as brisk, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as layered.
- Is Liquid Sky violent?
- Somewhat. Ember rates the violence in Liquid Sky as moderate.
- What did critics think of Liquid Sky?
- Critics broadly celebrate its audacious, inventive fusion of queer underground culture, science fiction, camp, and punk aesthetics, despite its deliberately rough and unconventional execution.
- Which films are like Liquid Sky?
- Films with a similar feel include Born in Flames, The Untamed, Decoder, and Rocky Horror Picture Show.
- How long is Liquid Sky?
- Liquid Sky runs 113 minutes.
- Where can I watch Liquid Sky?
- In United States, Liquid Sky streams on Night Flight Plus.
