Kids is a 1995 American drama film written by Harmony Korine and directed by Larry Clark.[1] The film features Chloë Sevigny, Leo Fitzpatrick, Justin Pierce and Rosario Dawson, most of them in their debut performances. The film is centered on a day in the life of a group of sexually active teenagers in New York City and their unrestrained behavior towards sex and drugs during the era of HIV in the mid-1990s.
Kids created considerable controversy upon its release in 1995, and caused much public debate over its artistic merit, even receiving an NC-17 rating from the MPAA.[2] It was later released without a rating.
Plot
The opening scene shows 17-year-old Telly (Leo Fitzpatrick) and a 12-year-old girl kissing. Using sweet-talk and adulation, Telly convinces the virginal girl to have sex with him. Afterwards, he leaves, and meets his friend Casper (Justin Pierce). As they walk along the sidewalk, Telly tells Casper about his sexual experience in graphic terms. They go inside a local store, and Casper shoplifts another malt liquor as Telly distracts the Asian cashier. They then steal a peach, using the same set-up just outside the store from a sidewalk display. They head to a friend's apartment, though they express dislike towards him on the way there. At this point, the pair wants drugs and food. They arrive at Paul's house, inhale nitrous oxide out of balloons, talk about sex, and smoke marijuana while skater videos play on TV. This scene then intercuts with a scene in which a group of girls talk about sex, contradicting what the boys say, especially about oral sex. Both Ruby (Rosario Dawson) and Jennie (Chloë Sevigny) are introduced during the conversation.
Ruby and Jennie discuss that they were recently tested for STDs at Ruby's request. Ruby's test is negative, even though she has had many sexual encounters and many of the times were unprotected. However, Jennie tests positive for HIV, much to her shock, since she claims to have had sex only once, with Telly. Jennie spends the rest of the film trying to find Telly, who has taken to only having sex with virgins on the premise that he cannot get STDs this way. Later, Telly and Casper walk to Telly's house. When they arrive, they steal money from Telly's mother. They go to Washington Square Park, meet up with a Rastafarian man, and discreetly buy a "dime bag" of marijuana from him. They then meet up with a few friends (one of whom gives a blunt-rolling tutorial) to talk and smoke. Casper starts to ride on a skateboard and carelessly bumps into a man, who threatens him. The man is immediately struck in the back of the head with a skateboard by Harold (Harold Hunter), a friend of Telly and Casper's, causing him to collapse. Seizing the opportunity, many of Casper's friends join in, kicking and hitting him until he is unconscious and covered with blood, and then Telly spits on the man's bloody face.
Telly and the group from the park pick up a thirteen-year-old girl named Darcy (Yakira Peguero). She is the younger sister of an acquaintance and Telly is very interested, as she is a virgin. He convinces her to sneak out and join Casper and some girls at a pool. The other girls engage in pseudo-lesbian kissing and flirtation, but Darcy is restrained (though not shocked at the others' behavior). Telly and the group go to Steven's house to smoke, drink and talk about sex. Meanwhile, Jennie wanders down to a rave trying to find Telly, but instead bumps into "Fidget" (the film's writer Harmony Korine), who gives her "a euphoric blockbuster drug that is supposed to make 'special K' look weak." After taking the drug, which is never named, but has effects similar to a depressant such as GHB or rohypnol, she finds out that Telly is at what has now become a party at Steven's place. We see the girl, high and with her young life in shambles, riding in a taxi.
Upon arriving at the party, Jennie discovers Telly having sex with Darcy, who is now being exposed to HIV too. Emotionally and physically exhausted by her ordeal and the drugs still affecting her, Jennie passes out on a couch among the other sleeping party-goers. A drunken Casper takes advantage of this situation by raping Jennie, thus continuing the cycle. The film ends with a soliloquy by Telly about how sex is one of his few worldly pleasures, and how without it he has nothing to live for. The last shot of the film is Casper sitting on a couch naked as he says, "Jesus Christ, what happened?"
Cast
Production
Clark is reported to have said that he wanted to "make the Great American Teenage Movie, like the Great American Novel."[3] The movie is filmed in a pseudo-documentary style, although all of the scenes are scripted.
In Kids, Larry Clark cast New York City "street" kids with no previous acting experience in the film, notably Leo Fitzpatrick (Telly) and the late Justin Pierce (Casper). Some have faded back into relative obscurity; meanwhile, others, such as Rosario Dawson (Rent, Sin City, Men in Black II, Alexander) and Academy Award-nominee Chloë Sevigny (Boys Don't Cry, American Psycho, Big Love, Party Monster), have since found success in their acting careers as well-recognized actresses. Jon Abrahams also continues acting and starred in a string of successful movies including The Faculty, Scary Movie, and Meet the Parents, as well as the television series Boston Public. In addition, the film's writer, Harmony Korine, makes a cameo in the club scene with Jennie, as the kid wearing glasses and a Nuclear Assault shirt who gives her drugs, though the part is credited to his brother Avi.[2] Pierce appeared in a number of movies before committing suicide in 2000.[4][5]
Harmony Korine reportedly wrote the screenplay for the movie in 1993, at the age of 18.[2] Contrary to perceptions on the part of many viewers, the film, according to Korine, was almost entirely scripted, with the only exception being the scene with the boy on the couch at the ending, which was improvised.[6] Gus Van Sant had originally been attached to the film as a producer. After insufficient interest had been generated in the film, he left the project; under incoming producer Cary Woods, the project found sufficient independent funding for the film. Harvey Weinstein of Miramax, wary of (or perhaps even pressured by) the parent Walt Disney Company's opinion of the risky screenplay, declined to involve Disney in funding the production of the film. After Woods showed him the final cut, however, Miramax paid $3.5 million to buy the worldwide distribution rights of this film.[7]
Controversy and critical reaction
The film depicts undisguised habitual and social use of profanity, marijuana, alcohol, nitrous oxide, tobacco, and the drug ecstasy. The original version of the film was rated NC-17 in the US.[2] It was later released without a rating. Because of its unexpurgated subject matter centering on relatively young teenagers, the film has been controversial. It also received mixed reviews, with 55 percent of critics giving it a positive rating at Rotten Tomatoes.[8] The movie includes much explicit sexual dialogue, and depicts scenes of date rape, physical violence, drug dealing, theft, seduction of barely post-pubescent minors, and (non-explicit) teenage sexual displays, as well as (apparently) adolescent actors/actresses in near but not quite explicit exposure. Film critic Janet Maslin of the New York Times called the film a "wake-up call to the modern world" about the nature of present day youth in urban life.[9] Meanwhile, other critics have labeled it exploitative (in the lascivious sense) as borderline "child pornography".[10]
Miramax, which was owned by Disney, paid $3.5 million to buy the worldwide distribution rights of this film.[11]
Later, Harvey and Bob Weinstein (the co-chairman of Miramax) were forced to buy back the film from Disney and created Shining Excalibur Films (a one-off company) to release the film, due to Disney's policy forbidding the release of NC-17 rated movies.[2] Eamonn Bowles was hired to be the chief operating officer of Shining Excalibur Films.[12]
Korine attributes the negative reaction to Kids to the expectation on the part of audiences for a specified moral-compass when there was none.[13]
Box office
The film, which was cost $1.5 million to make, grossed $7.4 million in the United States box office[14] and over $20 million worldwide.[15] According to Peter Biskind's book Down and Dirty Pictures, Eamonn Bowles had stated that Harvey and Bob Weinstein might have personally profited up to $2 million each.
Soundtrack
Track listing
- Daniel Johnston - "Casper"
- Deluxx Folk Implosion - "Daddy Never Understood"
- Folk Implosion - "Nothing Gonna Stop"
- Folk Implosion - "Jenny's Theme"
- Folk Implosion - "Simean Groove"
- Daniel Johnston - "Casper The Friendly Ghost"
- Folk Implosion - "Natural One"
- Sebadoh - "Spoiled"
- Folk Implosion - "Crash"
- Folk Implosion - "Wet Stuff"
- Lo-Down - "Mad Fright Night"
- Folk Implosion - "Raise The Bells"
- Slint - "Good Morning Captain"
Other songs
Songs featured in the movie but not on the official soundtrack include:
Awards
- 1995 Cannes Film Festival - Golden Palm Award (nominated; Larry Clark)[16]
- 1995 Independent Spirit Awards
- Best Debut Performance - Justin Pierce
- Best First Feature (nominated; director Larry Clark and producer Cary Woods)
- Best First Screenplay (nominated; Harmony Korine)
- Best Supporting Female (nominated; Chloë Sevigny)[17]
See also
Notes
- ^ "Harmony Korine - Kids" (html). http://www.harmony-korine.com/paper/main/c_kidscast.html. Retrieved 2007-01-12.
- ^ a b c d e "Trivia for Kids (1995)". Internet Movie Database Inc. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0113540/trivia. Retrieved 2007-01-12.
- ^ Bowen, Peter. Summer 1995. "The Little Rascals." Retrieved 2009-10-29.
- ^ "Justin Pierce, 25; Starred in 'Kids'". The New York Times. 2000-07-13. http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9C03EFD81E38F930A25754C0A9669C8B63&sec=&spon=. Retrieved 2007-11-14.
- ^ "Actor Justin Pierce hangs self in Las Vegas hotel". Reuters. 2000-11-01. http://www.papermag.com/?section=article&parid=192. Retrieved 2007-11-14.
- ^ Lyons, Tom. 1997-10-16. "Southern Culture on the Skids". The Eye. Retrieved 2009-11-6.
- ^ "Controversy: 'Kids' for Adults", Newsweek, February 20, 1995
- ^ Kids at rottentomatoes.com
- ^ Kids at Rotten Tomatoes; last accessed May 22, 2007.
- ^ Rita Kempley (1995-08-25). "'Kids' (NR)". Washington Post. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/style/longterm/movies/videos/kidsnrkempley_c029f5.htm. Retrieved 2007-08-18.
- ^ "Controversy: 'Kids' for Adults", Newsweek, February 20, 1995
- ^ Roman, Monica; "Bowles distrib'n prez for Shooting Gallery: Ex-Goldwyn arthouse exec brings sound instincts to Gallery"; January 8, 1998.
- ^ Ebert, Roger. 1995-6-5. Harmony Korine Interview Retrieved November 2, 2009
- ^ Box Information for Kids at the-numbers.com
- ^ Klady, Leonard. "Bookie bets on 'Paradise'" Daily Variety May 7, 1997
- ^ "Festival de Cannes: Kids". festival-cannes.com. http://www.festival-cannes.com/en/archives/ficheFilm/id/3367/year/1995.html. Retrieved 2009-09-03.
- ^ Awards page for Kids at the Internet Movie Database
External links
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Work by Harmony Korine |
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| Written & directed |
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| Only written |
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| Unrealized |
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| Other |
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| Produced |
The Aluminum Fowl (2006) · Blackberry Winter (2006) · The Dirty Ones (2008)
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| Television |
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| Music Video |
Sunday (1998) · No More Workhorse Blues (2004) · Living Proof (2006)
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| Art, writing, & photography |
A Crack Up at the Race Riots (1998) · The Bad Son (1998) · The Sigil of the Cloven Hoof Marks Thy Path (2000) · Pass the Bitch Chicken (2002) · Collected Fanzines (2008) · Pigxote (2009)
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