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Kids (1995) is a cult film about a day in the life of New York City teenagers and their sexual desire and sexual behavior during the emergence of HIV. It is presented in documentary form (at first the selling point was to portray real and factual events), but this has been proven to be untrue, in fact, all children's/young adults' situations appearing in the movie were apparently scripted. This went against the producers' wishes, who wanted to sell it as a true documentary on release as mentioned above. It also depicts the use of marijuana, alcohol, Nitrous Oxide, tobacco, ecstasy, and Special K, a.k.a. ketamine. The original version of the film was rated NC-17, although an R-rated cut version is available. Because of its explicit subject matter centering around relatively young teenagers, the film has been highly controversial; however, it is critically acclaimed. The movie includes a large portion of sexual dialogue related to intercourse, oral sex and other sexual topics. It also depicts scenes of rape, physical violence, drug deals and shoplifting. It is considered by some to be a wakeup call to the world about the nature of present day youth in the city.
Larry Clark's trademark is to use young, often unknown actors in his films. In Kids he used New York street kids with no previous acting experience to articulate his film, most notably Leo Fitzpatrick (Telly) and the late Justin Pierce (Casper). Some have faded back into the unknown, but others such as Rosario Dawson (25th Hour) and Chloë Sevigny (Boys Don't Cry) have since observed success in their acting careers. Larry Clark used handheld cameras and naturalistic compositions to give the film a documentary feel, giving the viewer the impression he or she is watching real events in real time.
Gus Van Sant had originally been attached to the film as a producer. After he failed to generate enough interest in the film, he fell off the project. Producer Cary Woods then became involved and managed to find independent funding for the film. Harvey Weinstein of Miramax, wary of (or perhaps even pressured by) parent company Disney's opinion of the risky screenplay, passed on funding the production of the film. After Cary Woods showed him the final cut, however, Harvey and his brother Bob bought the distribution rights to the film on their own, without Miramax/Disney money (much like they did for Fahrenheit 9/11). Today, Clark claims that while the film was relatively successful financially, he only received a modest amount of money, to the tune of $40,000, to make the film. Kids is often compared to similar films such as Thirteen and Kidulthood, which deal with most of the same issues as Kids.
Plot outline
Set during one single 24-hour period, the story follows an amoral adolescent (Telly, played by Leo Fitzpatrick) who strives to deflower as many virgins as possible, oblivious to the fact that an earlier partner of his (Jennie, played by Chloë Sevigny) has contracted HIV from him. Kids depicts an urban reality, interpreting the young characters' ethics and morals, and examining their habits of unprotected sex, drug and alcohol abuse, and needless violence.
Trivia
- The film's writer, Harmony Korine makes a cameo in the club scene with Jenny.
See also
- Bully (2001, Larry Clark)
- Ken Park (2002, Larry Clark)
- Kidulthood (2006, Menhaj Huda)
- Thirteen (2003), Cathrine Hardwick
External links
- Harmony-Korine.com: Kids
- Kids Synopsis and reviews of the movie at larryclark.us
"Kids (film)"