Kids (1995)

A day in the life of a group of teens as they travel around New York City skating, drinking, smoking and deflowering virgins.

Director:

Larry Clark

Writers:

Harmony Korine, Larry Clark (story by)

Stars:

Leo Fitzpatrick, Justin Pierce, Chloë Sevigny

1 win & 5 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Leo Fitzpatrick	...	Telly
Sarah Henderson	...	Girl #1
Justin Pierce	...	Casper
Joseph Chan	...	Deli Owner
Johnathan Staci Kim	...	Korean Guy (as Johnathan S. Kim)
Adriane Brown	...	Little Girl
Sajan Bhagat	...	Paul
Billy Valdes	...	Stanly
Billy Waldeman	...	Zack
Javier Nunez	...	Javier
Luis Núñez	...	Luis (as Luis Nunez)
Christian Bruna	...	Christian
Alex Glen	...	Alex
Chloë Sevigny	...	Jennie (as Chloe Sevigny)
Rosario Dawson	...	Ruby

Storyline

Disturbing, dark, low-budget independent film about teen-agers in New York City. The story focuses on Telly (Leo Fitzpatrick), a teen who has a goal to de-flower as many virgins as he can. When one of his old encounters discovers that she is H.I.V.-positive, after only one encounter with a guy, Telly remains undaunted.

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Plot Keywords:

virgin | rape | swimming in underwear | sexual abuse | first time sex | 

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Genres:

Drama

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Certificate:

Unrated

Did You Know?

Trivia

Screenings were often picketed by protesters, especially in Britain, where parliament quickly denounced the film.

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Goofs

When the crowd is attacking the man, Harold has his shirt on in one shot, but not in the next.

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Quotes

Casper: That girl was 12, you hit that shit up?
Telly: Who am I? I'm the motha-fuckin virgin surgeon.

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Crazy Credits

At the end of the credits it says: "The book 'KIDS' is available from Grove Press and contains photographs from the film, production stills and the original screenplay." and "A portion of the proceeds from this film will be donated to teen crisis organizations."

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Alternate Versions

For the UK cinema version 59 secs was cut by the BBFC to remove shots of young Nick's chest being kissed by an equally young girl and images of a sleeping child during the scene where Casper rapes Jennie, as this footage contravenes the Protection Of Children Act. In August '99 the British Board of Film Classification awarded the film an 18 certificate for video distribution, but with 51 seconds of cuts. The same footage was removed and the scenes re-edited to avoid shots of the child, and this same version was later issued on DVD.

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Connections

Referenced in Saturday Night Live: Louis C.K./Sam Smith (2014)

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Soundtracks

Whutcha Want
Written by Nine (as D. Keyes) and R. Lewis
Performed by Nine
From the album "Nine Livez"
Courtesy of Profile Records, Inc.
Published by Protoones, Inc. obo Itself, Lickshot Lyrics and Pretty Helen Music (ASCAP)

User Reviews

The Youth of our Nation.

Larry Clark has broken the boundaries with this film. Not only is it one of the realist depictions of our nation's youth, but it also brings the fear of the AIDS virus closer to home. This is not a piece of fictitious work, this is brutal honesty in its rawest form. While many will knock this film because of the pornographic nature, I saw past that and witnessed the birth of the next plague. Writer Harmony Korine has taken the world of our children and transferred it to the big screen. I never once saw this as a shock film or disgusting, I saw honesty and truth behind every scene. This is really what is happening in our backyards. Kids are not as young as they used to be, and are growing up in a world with more possibilities and distractions than ever before. This is the modern world, and these are the newest leaders.

While this is not what happens with all of our youth, it does paint a beautiful picture of just a handful. This is not just a story about NYC, it is a message for every city. This is happening all over this country. In the wealthy, poor, and everything in-between, our children are experimenting without any form of education or realization of their actions.

This is not a film that will leave a very good taste in your mouth, but then again it isn't supposed to. This is better and more honest than any reality program out there and it will scare the daylights out of you. This is our world, we must change it.

Grade: ***** out of *****

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

1 September 1995 (USA)

Also Known As:

Kids

Filming Locations:

New York, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$1,500,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$85,709, 23 July 1995

Gross USA:

$7,412,216

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$7,412,216

Company Credits

Production Co:

Guys Upstairs, Independent Pictures (II), Kids NY Limited

Technical Specs

Runtime:

91 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1