You Killed Me First" is a 1985 short film directed by Richard Kern, a prominent figure in the Cinema of Transgression movement. This underground film explores the dark underbelly of family dysfunction and rebellion, set against the gritty backdrop of New York’s East Village in the 1980s. The story centers on Elizabeth (played by Lung Leg), a disaffected teenager who chafes against the stifling conservatism, religiosity, and petit-bourgeois respectability of her family. Her parents, portrayed by David Wojnarowicz as the abusive father and Karen Finley as the submissive mother, embody oppressive authority, while her sister Deborah (Jessica Craig-Martin) represents conformity.

The film opens and closes with a tense Thanksgiving dinner scene, marked by a large turkey on the table, framing the narrative with a sense of domestic ritual gone awry. Between these bookends, a series of disturbing flashbacks reveal the trauma and hypocrisy that fuel Elizabeth’s rage. Drawing heavily from Wojnarowicz’s own childhood experiences, the film features raw, unscripted moments of violence and psychological turmoil, including a particularly harrowing scene involving a pet rabbit. Elizabeth’s defiance culminates in a shocking act of retribution as she turns the tables on her tormentors, declaring, “You killed me first!” before unleashing chaos.

Shot on a shoestring budget with minimal equipment, the film’s lo-fi aesthetic amplifies its visceral impact. The score by J.G. Thirlwell adds an unsettling edge to the already provocative visuals. Featuring a cast of East Village counterculture icons, "You Killed Me First" blends dark humor with scathing social critique, making it a quintessential work of transgressive cinema that challenges conventional morality and revels in its own subversive energy.