Other Projects With A Similar Vibe
I love the theme of "indulgence is death." As Crane's agent Lenny said, "Sex is not the answer!" We could especially use more of that message these days, where sex at young ages is the norm and indulgence is worshiped high and low. Auto Focus has very much influenced my own writing and directing. The downfall is portrayed perfectly.
I'm going to list some similar films I've seen. Feel free to comment or add to it if you want
PRICK UP YOUR EARS
If you're as much a fan of this movie as I am you might know that "Prick Up Your Ears" influenced Schrader while directing Auto Focus
LAST DAYS
Another tragic celebrity story based in reality. Character is probably even more clueless
SOMEWHERE
Kind of like Auto Focus in the 21st Century
TAXI DRIVER
New York sex and sin is smutty as ever in this Schrader-penned Scorsese film
SCARFACE
80s indulgence and excess is mocked in this Stone/DePalma masterpiece
MARTIN & LEWIS and THE TEMPTATIONS
It's been a long time since I've seen these biopics but they have some similar themes for sure. The Temptations has a lot of wrecking indulgence. Martin & Lewis shows Dean Martin as a pretty morally aloof person who doesn't get it. Very powerful scene where he calls it quits on his wife
CINEMA VERITE
This new HBO film has an Auto Focus vibe. It's another West Coast deal based on a true story with womanizing and image clashing with reality. Don McManus, Bob Crane's priest in Auto Focus, is seen
STALIN (Robert Duvall)
Alright perhaps a bit of a stretch but both have good depictions of a moral downfall. This man of steel just goes from bad to worse
NAPOLEON (Christian Clavier)
I saw this when it first debuted in 2002. I just remember the little French prick having sex the whole movie
BARCELONA
Also been awhile since I've seen this but I'll throw it in. This is a comedy with a ton of sex but the rampant screwing is eventually shown in a negative light
SLASHER MOVIES
Okay I just threw this in for fun. Indulgence is literally death in these movies, because it is punished with a knife!
THE LAST HOUSE ON THE LEFT
Alright this might be another stretch but it has the stuff of a cautionary tale. Powerful film with some good scenes of characters shocked by their own sin
OTHER SCHRADER FILMS
In "Affliction" we see the pitfalls of alcohol indulgence and its far-reaching effects. Like Auto Focus, Hardcore and American Gigolo show the emptiness and ugliness of sex