Kids and Crystal Lake

“I will always claim feminism and I consider my films a form of social justice. … I am entirely invested in inclusion ….Crystal Lake features only young actors of color for all the speaking roles. Stories matter, casting matters. I don’t see the point if I am not making a difference.” —Jennifer Reeder

Controversial and incendiary in the 1990s for its stark view into lives of disaffected New York youth, Kids is no less complicated viewing today, more than a generation later. Directed by photographer Larry Clark and written by Harmony Korine (at age 19), the film rides a line between authenticity and exploitation and represents a significant shift in how teen life was portrayed on film. Here, the grim realities of nonconsensual, underage sex and drug use are laid bare, rather than played up for laughs as they often were in the decade prior. 1995, 35mm, 91 min.

For this screening, Kids is preceded by Reeder’s 2016 short Crystal Lake. The film could be characterized as transporting the young girls from Kids into an alternate universe, where they form an all-female force field to rule the skate park. 2016, digital HD, 19 min.

Post-screening conversation with filmmaker Jennifer Reeder.

Students watch for free on Fridays!

This summer series is guest-curated with filmmaker Jennifer Reeder. In addition to the screenings of the artist’s recent films—Knives and Skin, A Million Miles Away, Blood Below the Skin, and Crystal Lake—Reeder presents programs highlighting three formative teen features from the 1980s and ’90s: Kids, Fast Times at Ridgemont High, and Little Darlings.

Print of Kids courtesy the Academy Film Archive.

Content advisory: Kids contains offensive language and depicts adolescents within scenes of rape and physical assault, drug, and alcohol use.