Review of Kids (2011) by Ruhan R — 15 Mar 2012

Kids was a shocking film that dedicated itself to depicting the mischievous adventures of New York teens as realistically as possible. From shoplifting and rape to drugs and violence, Harmony Korine did not bother to place any filters on the raw deviance committed by the young characters.

Sex was obviously the central issue in the plot, the rest of the debauchery was just supporting that main theme. The script was very strong, I loved how in depth the dialogue went for every subject the characters would discuss.

Larry Clark did an amazing job of arranging extras, set pieces and props to portray a very realistic looking New York city underground. There were some really aesthetically pleasing segues, my favourites being the blunt rolling sequence and the one of the homeless junkie after the rape scene.

That rape scene was one of the most disturbing yet powerful scenes I've ever seen in a movie. The acting was wonderful as well, the younger members of the cast had me convinced they were actually delinquents in real life.

Overall I was very moved by this gritty urban drama, a powerful piece indeed.