Kids

I think that last closing line in this film really sums it up "Jesus Christ, what happened?"

Kids certainly lives up to it shocking reputation and it is a good film, the only thing that bugs me is that nothing get resolved. However a lack of resolution gives people a chance to reflect on everything that has happened and somehow makes it seem all the more real and disturbing.

I think it is good that a film has covered lots of 'hush hush' topics such as teen promiscuity; STDs; drugs; violence; homophobia; theft; racism; the list goes on. These are all something which the majority of teens experience (whether they are on the receiving end of it or the ones doing it). But the main focus of the film is really sex.

The promiscuity of youth is not something that is often touched upon, and certainly not so graphically. Some of the scenes may be quite uncomfortable viewing for some people, for example when Telly ignores the fact that the girl he is having sex with is crying in pain, especially after he promised her that it wouldn't hurt.

It's kind of cliché, but it is also good that film puts across the message that it doesnt matter how many times you have sex, using protection is always the most important thing - Jennie has only slept with one person, sadly it was Telly and they didnt use protection, she is now HIV positive, where has her friend Ruby has slept with numerous people, only used protection few times and she is free from STDs.

Telly, who doesnt know that he is HIV positive likes virgins - "Virgins. I love 'em. No diseases..." A little ironic maybe.

Some people may feel that the worst thing about the film is the fact that Jennie then has a chance to warn Telly (and any girls he may be wanting to sleep with) that he is HIV positive, but at the last minute, after she has been looking for him for a long time, she does not. However bad this may be, there is always the chance that even if Jennie had told him it wouldnt have made the slightest bit of difference. As Telly has told us previously in the film he doesnt want to use protection - "Condoms don't work. They either break, or they slip off, or they make your dick shrink. Nah, but you still gotta use em, yo. At least I did once." - so there is little chance that finding out he has an STD is gonna change his mind.

To finish, in my opinion, if you're going to pick on topics, like the ones shown in 'Kids', you have to make it hard hitting, shocking even, otherwise it lowers the affect it has. There's no point pussy-footing about, you need to make an impact, you need to make it real. So yeah, 'Kids' is extremely bad, but not unnecessarily so.

IMDB - a profile on 'Kids' with an overview, cast listings, FAQ and user comments