Una vez fuimos Kids

I watched kids when it came out, being a kid myself, when I was 16 years old. The movie itself was kinda weird, though watching these kids was impressive. The storyline was total nonsense, evem to a 16-year-old. What was much more memorable was when my friend and me got out of the cinema, we were attacked by two kids who had riled themselves up watching the movie. Not a nice experience. Now this documentary felt to me like the missing piece to Kids. We used to skate, too, and like the actors describe it here, it was indeed our only way to be productive and not get into trouble. Obviously, living in a small town in Germany, we weren't nearly growing up in such dire conditions as them, but skating did mean that much to us, too.

It was interesting and sad to see how "Kids" impacted qnd changed these kids' lives, kimnd of destroying the feeble "community" that they had built themselves around skating. Had a much more profound effect on me that watching Kids back in the day.

This is a good documentary that, unlike what typical bros from IMDB would say, is not for "the era of whine". It does talk about the entire cast, even those who someone says here are suspiciously silent, but this is not about the rest of the teenagers who were part of the cast. It's about those who had the power and basically used the life stories (AND IMAGES) of these kids, while filming them naked and using drugs. I have never been a fan of Harmony Korine, and now I dislike him even more. The creepy aura around Larry Clarke does not surprise me. This old dude talking with a teenager about another grown man wanting oral sex seems more like a way to bring that topic up. I do believe that Hamilton Harris, being the writer, wasn't able to objectively edit many of his conversations. The monotone can get a little bit tired.

It's not the best, but it's worth watching, especially for those who are unable to put themselves in the shoes of teenagers from "the wrong side of the tracks" (Of course, that's not the user base of this site)

As much I otherwise enjoyed this little documentary, it is incomplete without including Chloe Sevigny and Rosario Dawson. As another reviewer here wrote, there isn't a single scene, clip, photo or even name-drop of them in this entire film. It's almost as if their lawyers and managers threatened to shut down this entire project if their likeness appeared anywhere in it.

At the end, there is a note that says Larry Clark and Harmony Korine refused to participate in this project, but obviously SO DID Chloe and Rosario, so what's your point? Leo Fitzpatrick also isn't anywhere in this, not even his name!

So how are we supposed to interpret that? Seems there is some bad blood between those "kids" who found Hollywood success after, and those who were left behind.

All in all, it's worth a watch - but anyone expecting behind-the-scenes film-making insight into the making of Kids will be disappointed. The actual production of Kids is glossed over in under 5 minutes; the rest of this doc is a hit piece against Clark and Korine and also a portrait of Justin Pierce and Harold Hunter's tragic pre- and post-Kids lives.

The movie kids, tho great in many ways, is an emotionless affair. Literally characters who find out they have aids don't cry, they just kinda panic. Nobody seems to, or is depicted to, feel anything in that world.

We Were Once Kids is like the photo negative of that. It's emotionally raw, very vulnerable, pathetic even, embarrassing. And I mean all that as a compliment. Here we see young men grappling honestly with regrets, unrealized dreams, friendships, and new realities, they aren't too cool to walk us through the process of finding adult perspectives on hard childhoods, lost childhoods, opportunities - particularly one stinging reveal that was and is forever lost. Even cast wise: the side characters are the stars, the stars mostly absent.

It's a great depiction of the chance to be in the moons orbit and never getting to land there. The filmmakers are in tremendous company.

I've always been a fan of kids. The period in New York this film depicts and the skate culture is what initially drew me in. I know that it is a controversial film, but I always assumed that it was because of the subject matter being shown. While there is nothing lighthearted about the subject matter I was unaware of the total lack of respect and taking advantage of the kids in the film. It is heartbreaking to watch as they are left in the dust while Larry Clarke takes all the credit and money. Hamilton Hariss does an incredible job at explaining everything that has happened to these kids. If you have scene kids you should watch this as well.