Product: Kids (1995)
Rating: 5.0
Further proof that youth is wasted on the young
I think this is the only time I was fooled. Many films attempt to achieve a documentary feel within a fictional narrative. Usually, they fail miserably. "Kids", however, got me hook, line, and sinker. I was amazed that director Larry Clark had managed to get seemingly unlimited access and unsparing raw footage of teenagers patrolling the streets of Manhattan. I only found out later that the whole thing was an expertly made fiction (although there are some clues; I should have wondered how Clark got the p.o.v. shot of the kid getting beaten in the park).The credit, I suspect, should be doled out in three equal portions.First, Clark himself. His cinema verite camera work is terribly effective. Some scenes consist only of him setting the camera up in the middle of the room, and swinging around from face to face to catch bits and pieces of conversation. An early sequence, shot in this way, contrasts what boys talk about (uh, sex and drugs apparently) with what girls talk about (more or less the same thing), in a way that never feels scripted or rehearsed, but also doesn't come across as amateurish or slapdash. The casualness of the direction allows for the casual story to unfold. It also allows those moments of high drama to stand out even more. Witness the aforementioned scene in the park, where dozens of young skaters beat up one unsuspecting tough guy. It's gruesome and brutal stuff, but Clark's camera never flinches. (Later, someone offhandedly asks, "Do you think we killed that guy?", a question that's quickly brushed aside without a second thought, perfectly detailing the inherent nihilism that makes these characters so fascinating to watch.)Second share of the credit goes to the actors. A quick perusal through their filmmographies reveals no one had much more than amateur experience beforehand, and really only Chloe Sevigny has made any waves since. But in the context of "Kids", they're all wonderful. Leo Fitzpatrick, in what could have been a very unlikable role as Telly, is terribly charming when he needs to be, in a seedy kind of way. His buddy Casper, a near-brain-dead space cadet with a mean streak, is perfectly essayed by Justin Pierce. And Sevigny herself takes a wonderfully rigid, and then totally freaked-out turn as Jennie. These are the three biggest roles. But peopling the backgrounds are a vast menagerie of unknown actors and real-life street kids, none of whom ever strikes a wrong or false note. Most striking is a group of boys who Clark focuses on for one long moment at a party: they're shirtless, stuffed four wide into a couch, and sharing a joint. They are obviously much younger than the main circle of kids we've been following (presumably someone's younger brothers), and their brief appearance lets you realize that the people you are watching aren't just an isolated incident; they are a trend that will be followed for generations to come.The third and final credit share goes to Harmony Korine. Korine, an apparent child prodigy, was only 19 when he wrote "Kids". It thus doesn't surprise me nearly as much as it should that he got the lingo and slang of teenagers just right. The dialogue feels genuine and authentic. The screenplay's greatest strength, though, is that it is fairly tight structurally, but the audience never feels like a story is being told. It may seem at first like a mosaic of a movie, randomly put together around themes and not much else. But closer inspection reveals a very strong, if hidden, narrative. Jennie finds out some bad news that she must tell to Telly. She spends the rest of the movie searching for him, but is always one or two steps behind him. Telly, for his part, is searching for something of his own: a new virgin to deflower (his randy/amoral little hobby). The narrative stretches out over the course of one, hot Manhattan day, and even though there is no real deadline, Korine (along with Clark's direction) makes it feel like Jennie must catch Telly before the sun goes down. In doing so, he/they give the film a thrust that an ordinary documentary-style would never be able to achieve. And still, what could have come across as a ham-handed suspense thriller is, as written, more like a visceral slice of life.And for those who think this film offers only a glimpse into the kids' world, and not a moral lesson, I ask you this: What do you think will happen to Telly, Jennie, and Casper in the year after the movie ends? I imagine their carefree days will be over soon, and the consequences of their actions will be felt full force. It's quite a powerful film, if you think of it that way. And even if you don't, it still moves you.