I just saw Larry Clark's KIDS and I need to talk about it.

[Sebastian Francis]

I just saw KIDS (1995) and I need to talk. I'm so discouraged by this film. I've seen every horror movie and war movie ever made (hyperbole, but you get the point ). Yet none of them tormented me the way this film did.

Comfort me. Tell me that the film is a simple exploitation flick that grossly exaggerates the state of teens today (or at least back in 1995). Tell me that even if there *are* kids like the ones in this film, that they are *extremely* few and far between.

The problem is, after seeing KIDS I watched the 1996 documentary The Lost Children of Rockdale County. (I tried posting a link to the Rockdale video on amazon but it didn't work. But if any of you want to talk about these films you can look up info about them on the web.)

Siiiiiiggghh....

I'm very depressed. Don't know what to do. Need to talk. Help.

 

[Fast Learner]

Have you seen the more-recent Thirteen. It very closely mirrors actual teenage life for some teenagers today.

 

[Crothian]

Kids is not wrong, there are kids that are like it. But obviously not all of them are this way.

 

[Mark Chance]

Welcome to the brave new world of children raising themselves. When you think of the future, be afraid. Be very afraid.

And then get over it, because worrying won't do anything but cause health problems.

 

[Patman21967]

My girlfriend at the time, almost became physically ill after watching this film....needless to say, I didn't get laid that night.....

 

[jester47]

The really scary thing about that was after it came out I was a freshman in college. Some of my friends after seeing that (at that time I was running with an urban/raver crowd) thought it was the coolest movie ever.

... ...

Needless to say I was the only one of that crowd that graduated from that university.

I absolutely hated that movie. I gladly add to the puke pile this thing generates.

Aaron.

 

[shilsen]

I haven't seen this movie, but you people are really making it seem interesting!

 

[Look_a_Unicorn]

WARNING- spoilers for this movie are mentioned
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I saw it about two years ago. I found it so disturbing. So very very disturbing.

Unfortunatly, it is true that there are kids out there, in the world today, that do nothing/have nothing TO do (that they are aware of) except f&ck and drink.

It is also true that some of these kids will hav AIDS or other diseases.

And yes it is also true that their are many kids that start having sex at the age of 12 or less. In some societies that's not actually abnormal, though to my Australian upbringing it seems... wrong.

That's why I found this movie so horrible. These kids have no lives. Very little chance of bettering themselves, and cannot help but have a nihilistic view. It is up to everyone who HAS a better life to either reduce the number of these kids by taking responsibility for their own actions/offspring (until the age of 16, say).

I'm glad this movie sickened you. it means someone else echoes the way I think.
It's also possible to view the movie as a bit of a wake-up call, to make sure that even if your not helping find a solution to these kind of problems (after all, limited time/energy), that at least your not contributing o the problem!
(not saying you are, it's just useful to take stock now and again)


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So I guess that makes KIDS a good movie, in that it made me think about fields of thought in which my mind does not normally stray...