Kids

Wednesday 17 April at 7.30pm

Larry Clark | USA | 1995 | 91 mins | R18 drug use, suicide, sex scenes & offensive language

Scripted by a teenaged Harmony Korine, this grungy, doco-style drama on the lives of a group of sex-obsessed, drug-abusing NY teenagers provoked scandal and big box office on release.

“Kids, a gritty look at a group of skateboarding, drug-abusing, bed-hopping teenagers, became an unlikely box office hit when it premiered in the summer of 1995. Shot on a shoestring budget with a cast comprised of unknowns and amateur actors, the film’s subject matter and frank sexuality was scandalous, prompting condemnation in some quarters, as well as fights with the ratings board… It went on to gross an astounding $20.4 million, catapulted director Larry Clark and screenwriter Harmony Korine up Hollywood’s ladder, and launched the careers of stars Rosario Dawson and Chloë Sevigny.”– Brent Lang, Variety
“Kids is an emotional sucker punch, a raw, dirty, disturbing piece of cinéma vérité filmmaking that simultaneously hooks and repulses you from its opening scenes… Anyone who’s been out clubbing in an urban area after 2am will find few surprises in what Clark depicts. Shocking, yes, but hardly surprising; the film, perhaps not unintentionally, feels very much like a documentary. Disturbing, harrowing, visceral, and even sporadically humorous, Kids is one of those rare films that begs the description “a must-see.” For once, it’s the truth.”– Marc Savlov, Austin Chronicle