Product: Kids (1995)
Rating: 3.0
Why Such an Eye-Opener?
I agree with most of the other reviews for this movie so I don't have a lot to add. It's raw, it's realistic, and it's effective. It really is scary to see kids hurt themselves and each other the way they do and seemingly not even know it. What makes both the film and reality so disturbing is that these really are kids, not hardened criminals but children who are in some cases still experiencing puberty. The girls look like they only recently began wearing bras. The main (and worst) character looks not so much like a completely depraved being as a skinny awkward kid like the kind you see on the street every day. The truth is, he's both. These kids commit crimes to rival those of the grown men, but with less understanding of what they're doing. The movie exposes this mentality very well.Of course it's only effective inasmuch as it's realistic. I'm a suburban teenager and I don't do this stuff, but I went to high school. In my limited experience, well, there's a spectrum. Most kids aren't like in this movie, and most aren't completely innocent. Some kids do bad things, but would never do them to this extent. Some kids might have experiences like this, but only on on occasional weekends. Some kids talk as bad as in the movie, but don't do it in real life. The film doesn't show the norm, but it shows what's out there.The reason I only gave it 3 stars is because I don't understand why this is hailed as an "eye-opener." Haven't teenagers been accused of this kind of behavior all along? I thought by 1995 teenage delinquency was pretty well-known and the fear of it was widespread. Drugs, sex, and violence among youth have been issues for the past several decades. I don't see how this film introduced any new ideas. It just shows this behavior in practice, whereas for many people "delinquency" is just a concept that doesn't touch them.I don't know if I can recommend this movie or not because it's rather unpleasant to watch. Very explicit. For some people, that can kill the film whether or not it's good or effective. But if you want to get an idea of the underworld of the youth, this is a good movie to watch.