Kids (film)

Infobox Film
name = Kids


caption = Kids DVD poster
director = Larry Clark
producer = Cary Woods
Christine Vachon
writer = Larry Clark
Harmony Korine
narrator =
starring = Leo Fitzpatrick
Justin Pierce
Chloë Sevigny
Rosario Dawson
music =
cinematography = Eric Alan Edwards
editing = Christopher Tellefsen
distributor = Shining Excalibur Films
Lions Gate
released = July 28, 1995
runtime = 91 mins (Theatrical Version)
country = United States
language = English
budget = $1.5 million USD
preceded_by =
followed_by =
website =
amg_id = 1:134786
imdb_id = 0113540

"Kids" is a 1995 American drama film written by Harmony Korine and directed by Larry Clark.Cite web|url=http://www.harmony-korine.com/paper/main/c_kidscast.html|title=Harmony Korine – "Kids"|accessdate=2007-01-12|format=html] 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. 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 want 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 gratification. 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 has 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 at 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 the HIV-positive girl, 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

*Leo Fitzpatrick: Telly
*Justin Pierce: Casper
*Chloë Sevigny: Jennie
*Rosario Dawson: Ruby
*Jon Abrahams: Steven
*Sarah Henderson: Girl #1
*Sajan Bhagat: Paul
*Dr. Henry: Ras
*Harold Hunter: Harold
*Harmony Korine: Fidget
*Hamilton Harris: Hamilton
*Atabey Rodriguez: Misha
*Ellsworth "Cisco" Davis: The Hoodlum
*Michele Lockwood: Kim
*Carisa Glucksman: Joy
*Yakira Peguero: Darcy
*Deborah Draper: Jennie's Nurse
*Virginia Reath: Ruby's Nurse
*Julia Mendoza: Susan
*Gillian Goldstein: Linda
*Priscilla Forsyth: Diane
*Alan Wise: Accordion Player
*Joseph Chan: Korean Store Owner
*Johnathan Staci Kim: Deli Owner
*Adriane Brown: Little Girl
*Billy Valdes: Stanley
*Billy Waldeman: Zack
*Raymond Batista: Legless Man

Production

The movie is filmed in a pseudo-documentary style, although all of the scenes are scripted.

Casting

In "Kids", he used 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", "Boston Public", "Scary Movie", and "Meet The Parents". In addition, the film's writer, Harmony Korine, makes a cameo in the club scene with Jennie, as the kid wearing glasses who gives her drugs, though the part is credited to his brother Avi. Pierce appeared in a number of movies until committing suicide in 2000. [cite news|title= Justin Pierce, 25; Starred in 'Kids' | publisher = "The New York Times" | date =2000-07-13 | url =http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9C03EFD81E38F930A25754C0A9669C8B63&sec=&spon= | accessdate =2007-11-14] [cite news|title=Actor Justin Pierce hangs self in Las Vegas hotel | publisher = Reuters | date =2000-11-1 | url =http://www.papermag.com/?section=article&parid=192 | accessdate =2007-11-14]

cript

Harmony Korine reportedly wrote the screenplay for the movie in 1993, at the age of 18.
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, Harvey and his brother, Bob Weinstein, bought the distribution rights to the film on their own, without Miramax/Disney money (as they did for "Fahrenheit 9/11").

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.Cite web|url=http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0113540/trivia|title=Trivia for "Kids" (1995)|accessdate=2007-01-12|publisher=Internet Movie Database Inc] It was later released without a rating. Because of its unexpurgated subject matter centering on relatively young teenagers, the film has been controversial, having received mixed reviews, with 55% of critics giving it a positive rating at Rotten Tomatoes. [ [http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/kids/ Kids at rottentomatoes.com] ] The movie includes much explicit sexual dialogue, and depicts scenes of date-rape, physical violence, drug dealing, theft, seduction of barely post-pubertal 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. ["Kids" at [http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/kids/ Rotten Tomatoes] ; last accessed May 22, 2007.] Meanwhile, other critics have labeled it exploitative (in the sense) as borderline "child pornography". [cite web |url=http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/style/longterm/movies/videos/kidsnrkempley_c029f5.htm |title='Kids' (NR) |author=Rita Kempley |date=1995-08-25 |accessdate=2007-08-18 |publisher="Washington Post"]

Miramax, which was owned by Walt Disney Company, paid $3.5 million to buy the worldwide distribution rights of this film. ["Controversy: 'Kids' for Adults", Newsweek, February 20, 1995]
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 studio name to release the film, due to Disney's policy forbidding the release of NC-17 rated movies. Eamonn Bowles was hired to be the chief operating officer of Shining Excalibur Films. [ [http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117434599.html?categoryid=18&cs=1 Roman, Monica; "Bowles distrib'n prez for Shooting Gallery: Ex-Goldwyn arthouse exec brings sound instincts to Gallery"; January 8, 1998.] ]

Box office

The film, which was made on a budget of $1.5 million USD, grossed $7.4 million in the United States, and $7.6 million internationally. [ [http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0113540/business Box office/business page for "Kids" at the Internet Movie Database] ] According to Peter Biskind's book "Down and Dirty Pictures", Eamonn Bowles has stated that Harvey and Bob Weinstein may have each personally profited up to $2 million each.

oundtrack

Official Soundtrack:

*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 prominent songs featured in the movie but not on the official soundtrack:

*Artifacts - Wrong Side of The Tracks
*The Average White Band - I'm The One
*Beastie Boys - Sabrosa
*Beastie Boys - Pow
*Brand Nubian - Word Is Bond
*Crooklyn Dodgers - Crooklyn
*Erule - Listen Up
*Jeru The Damaja - Da Bitchez
*John Coltrane - Slow Dance
*O.C. - Time's Up
*A Tribe Called Quest - Oh My God
*Nine - Whatcha Want

Awards

*1995 Cannes Film Festival - Golden Palm Award (nominated; Larry Clark)
*1996 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; Chloe Sevigny) [ [http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0113540/awards Awards page for "Kids" at the] Internet Movie Database]

See also

* Bully (film)
* Ken Park
* Kidulthood

Notes

External links

*
* [http://www.harmony-korine.com/paper/main/f_kids.html Harmony-Korine.com: "Kids"]