With his first feature, Todd Haynes took his influence from the patron saint of all queer outlaw art, Jean Genet. The result was a trio of intercut, stylistically distinct stories drawn together by their conceptual rigor and openly-gay themes—“Hero,” “Horror,” and “Homo”.

Sundance in the early 90s was a place to be, not just for Tarantino, but for Todd Haynes (Carol), whose debut Poison may be the most shocking film to ever win their top prize—a bold, fiercely intelligent, uniquely stylized take on transgressive desire that few indies today would dare attempt.