In 1995, audiences were shocked and appalled after viewing Larry Clark’s now infamous film Kids, which followed a group of underprivileged teenagers in New York as they skated, used drugs, had sex, and spread the HIV virus. The film is known for casting real street kids, many of whom played versions of themselves. While it opened to mixed critical reception, the film is responsible for launching the careers of stars Rosario Dawson and Chloë Sevigny, as well as writer Harmony Korine (Spring Breakers).
Hamilton Harris, who appeared briefly in the film in a scene where he instructs a group of friends how to roll a blunt, is putting together a documentary on the film entitled The Kids, which will feature reflections from those included in the production.
In a recent interview, Harris explained that many who were involved with the film questioned Clark’s motives. He explains (via Vice):
“After the movie happened, people who weren’t in it—but who were a part of the group—had gripes with this intrusion into our lives and people making money off it, while we’re still struggling, starving, and finding our way through life, alone. That’s not to say [the filmmakers] did us wrong on that, because those of us who were in the movie chose to be. But there was a lot of dysfunction both prior to and after the film’s release—people going from being in this little subculture, dealing with these complex situations in a sleepless city, to being a part of this new pop culture, with all that dysfunction and trauma squared. It’s still a very sensitive topic—there’s a lot of resentment. So this documentary is quite a responsibility on me, you know what I mean? I had to do a lot of reflecting on myself first to get to the point of even doing this interview, 20 years later.”
Harris has already filmed interviews with Clark and actress Chloë Sevigny. There is no word yet on the involvement from any other key players from Kids, but we’ll keep you posted when we hear more.