Kids & Caroline and Jackie
I have been watching a lot of comedies and action movies lately, so it was time to offset those with dramas containing mature content. A friend recommended Kids, about a group of teens (and younger) behaving poorly in New York and Caroline and Jackie included 2 actors from the tv show Grimm (which is a household favorite), and is about thirty-somethings behaving poorly on the night of a birthday party. Both films take place during one day in the life of the characters and shine a light on issues such as substance abuse, anorexia, alcoholism, HIV, and sexual promiscuity. Movies like these I often refer to as ‘tough to watch’ but that is usually based on the content, (not a happy, feel good type of film), and not in a ‘that movie sucked’ kind of way. Whereas Kids caused some controversy when it was released due to the brutally straightforward depiction of the material, Caroline and Jackie’s premiere was more receptive, including positive reviews at the Tribeca Film Festival in New York.
The music that played during Kids seemed to not go along with the scene it was paired with, similar to the opening credits of Caroline and Jackie which was unsettling, but that suits the two films as they come across as uncomfortable. In addition to the music, the shaky, somewhat voyeuristic camera angles adds to this feeling. They present the audience with a combination that is not normally shown in films and we wonder, ‘who made this? why is this how they made the film?’ as if we shouldn’t have to see people treating each other in such a manner. As we become little film makers ourselves, the movies continue to shine a light on scenarios most folks do not come into contact with, leaving us to accept that these situations happen. Even if we don’t want to watch (you can always stop watching a movie if you like), these films put images on the screen that we can not un-see. Showing young people talking and engaging in activities not legal even for adults should snap us out of believing that no children behave that way, we should learn that some do. Kids was not made for kids to see, but every parent should give it a watch to encourage (or shock) them to become an active participant in raising their children, teaching them the facts about what consequences their choices have. Viewers who are over 30 might compare their own choices to the ones made by the characters in Caroline and Jackie, ‘am I taking care of myself? what impact do I have on others around me?’ and if your only take away from either flick is to have a discussion or self reflection about your own life, regardless of what you thought of the film itself, then the time spent watching was worth it.
Kids
1995, 18A, 1h 31m
Distributor – Miramax
Budget – $1.5 million
Kids was written by Harmony Korine, a 19 year old, who would go on to write and direct a similar film Gummo (1997) and most recently, Spring Breakers (2012 with James Franco). Director Larry Clark, whose first credit was also Kids, would next direct Another Day in Paradise (1998 with James Woods) and most recently The Smell of Us (2014) about skateboarders in Paris. The film stars Leo Fitzpatrick, who would appear in Another Day in Paradise and another Larry Clark directed film Bully (2001 with Brad Renfro), and Goldbricks in Bloom (2016). Justin Pierce would next appear in A Brother’s Kiss (1997), Next Friday (2000 with Ice Cube), and passed away too soon at the age of 25. The film also boasts Chloë Sevigny, who next did Trees Lounge (1996), Gummo (1997), Boys Don’t Cry (1999 with Hilary Swank), American Psycho (2000 with Christian Bale), Big Love (5 seasons, 2006-2011), and American Horror Story (18 episodes, 2012-2016). Rosario Dawson also appears in the film, she was next in He Got Game (1998 with Denzel Washington), before acting in Sin City (2005 with Clive Owen), Rent (2005), and Marvel tv shows Daredevil, Jessica Jones, Luke Cage, and Iron Fist (2015-2017).
Caroline and Jackie
2012, unrated, 1h 25m
Distributor – Phase 4 Films
Caroline and Jackie was written and directed by Adam Christian Clark, a 32 year old, who previously directed 96 episodes of Big Brother (2002-2004), and will next write, direct, and star in Newly Single. Marguerite Moreau was previously in Shameless (6 episodes, 2011-2012) and Life Happens (2011), and would next be in Stress Position (2013) and 7 episodes of Grey’s Anatomy (2013-2014). Bitsie Tulloch was appearing in Grimm (119 episodes 2011-2017), The Artist (2011 with Jean Dujardin), and would next be in Parkland (2013 with Zac Efron) and Concussion (2015 starring Will Smith). David Giuntoli was also starring in Grimm, had appeared in 6 Month Rule (2011), and would next act in 13 Hours and Buddymoon (both released in 2016).
Links
Kids
IMDB – 7.0
Box Office Mojo
Wikipedia