We Were Once 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.

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.

I don't believe Larry Clark had a hidden agenda. He clearly was in awe of how this crew of loyal skaters were living life raw and unedited. It was after meeting and reading Harmony Korine's screenplay he felt it had potential to be a full length motion picture. So turning to his connections in the film industry such as Gus Van Sant, for example to make it happen. At this point is when i felt some of the cast got taken advantage of in terms of pay being the classic it still it to date but on the other hand $1,000 is a considerable amount for those who hardly had any screen time. I don't agree with Clark turning ghost after filming completed since it was a community of people who value friendship, loyalty and commitment from eachother. I understand life moves on for everyone but I'm sure some of the kids just felt dismissed by Larry & Harmony. But neither should be a scapegoat for anyone's failed career since half the cast are now very well established actors/actresses. This is my outsiders perspective, for what it's worth.

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.