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Kids
Kids film poster
Directed by	Larry Clark
Produced by	Cary Woods
Written by	Larry Clark Harmony Korine
Starring	Leo Fitzpatrick Sarah Henderson Justin Pierce Chloë Sevigny Rosario Dawson
Cinematography	Eric Alan Edwards
Editing by	Christopher Tellefsen
Distributed by	Shining Excalibur Films Lions Gate
Release date(s)	July 28, 1995
Running time	91 mins (Theatrical Version) 102 Minutes (Unrated/NC-17)
Country	United States
Language	English
All Movie Guide profile
IMDb profile

Kids is a 1995 American film written by Harmony Korine and directed by Larry Clark.^[1] The film features Chloë Sevigny, Leo Fitzpatrick, Justin Pierce and Rosario Dawson.

The film is centered on a day in the life of a group of teenagers in New York City and their unrestrained behavior towards sex and drugs during the era of HIV in the mid 1990s.

Kids is often compared to topically similar films such as The Basketball Diaries (1995) and Kidulthood (2006), which deal with similar issues.

Contents 1 Plot 2 Cast 3 Production 3.1 Controversy and critical reaction 3.2 Casting 3.3 Writing 3.4 Soundtrack 4 See also 5 Notes 6 External links

The opening scene shows sixteen 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, upon leaving the girl's house, he leans over a hallway railing and spits onto the floor, a symbol of his disrespect for the girl, which sets up his character. He then meets his friend Casper (played by Justin Pierce), who is drinking malt liquor and reading a comic book.

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 the person'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 only had sex 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 a shambles, riding in a taxi.

Upon arriving at the party, Jennie discovers Telly having sex with young 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.

• 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

The movie is filmed in a pseudo-documentary style, although all of the scenes are scripted. Director Clark used handheld cameras and naturalistic compositions to give the film the aimed documentary feel, giving viewers the impression that they are watching real events in real time.

The film depicts undisguised habitual and social use of profanity, marijuana, alcohol, nitrous oxide, tobacco, and MDMA, also known as "ecstasy" ("X"). The original version of the film was rated NC-17 in the US;^[2] a less explicit version is also commonly available (but even this version never received an R-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.^[3] 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.^[4] Meanwhile, other critics have labeled it exploitative (in the lascivious sense) as borderline "child pornography".^[5] Still others, finding its story implausible on many points, consider it exploitative (commercially and emotionally) of both youth subculture and parental fears of the dangers to and mistakes of juveniles.^{[citation needed]} Sevigny received an Independent Spirit Award nomination for her performance as Jennie.

The film was produced by Miramax, in conjunction with Excalibur Films, Guys Upstairs Independent Pictures, and Kids NY Limited.^[6] Miramax, which is owned by the Walt Disney Company, was forced to create Shining Excalibur Pictures, a one-off studio name to release the film, because of Disney's policy forbidding the release of NC-17 rated movies.^[2]

Clark's trademark as a director is to use young and often unknown actors in his films.^{[citation needed]} 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), have since found success in their acting careers as well-recognized actresses. The homeless, legless man shown on the subway begging for money on a skateboard can often be seen on the New York City subway's 6 train.^{[citation needed]}

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.^[2]

Harmony Korine reportedly wrote the screenplay for the movie in 1993, at the age of 18.^[2] 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). Today, Clark claims that while the film was relatively financially successful, he only received a comparatively small amount of money (approximately US$40,000) to make the film.^{[citation needed]}

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

• Bully (film)
• Ken Park
• Kidulthood

• Kids at the Internet Movie Database
• Harmony-Korine.com: Kids
• Kids Synopsis and reviews of the movie at larryclark.us