Film: "Kids" (1995).
Directed by Larry Clark (a photographer-turned-film-maker) from a script by
18-year-old Harmony Korine, whose life had hitherto focused principally on
skateboards, this movie aims to present an authentic picture of New York
youth. Yes for these kids the options seem to lie only between drugs, booze,
theft, partying, sex, sex and more sex. Not much violence, though. It has
divided critical opinion into those who reject its apparent nihilism as
blinkered and repellent and others who regard it as a breakthrough for realism.
The jittery, hand-held camerawork, the seemingly impromptu dialogue and
spontaneous acting certainly feel like a slice of life. But it's actually a
carefully plotted 24-hour search by a young girl (Chloë Sevigny) for a
boy (Leo Fitzpatrick) whose passion is deflowering virgins. Life, he says, would
be meaningless if he could no longer do so. Why does she seek out this monster?
Not, as you might think, because she's pregnant but because he's HIV-positive and
has transmitted the infection to her. She's desperate to save others from the
same fate. Despite appearances, Kids deals responsibly with matters of moment
and concern. Like it or not, it cannot be lightly dismissed.
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