Featured Image Credit: Miramax
Topics: Film and TV, Nostalgia
Niamh Shackleton
People are reminiscing about a movie that viewers describe as the 1990s version of Euphoria.
There has been many gritty teen TV series released over the years. From Skins and Sex Education to Riverdale and The End of the F***ing World, there are a lot of hard-hitting shows about teenagers out there for you to binge.
The UK version of Skins was my 2000s alternative to Euphoria, a show which has been credited for helping Jack O'Connor, Nicholas Holt, and Daniel Kaluuya get their start in the film industry.
But long before Skins was Kids, a 1995 movie directed by Larry Clark that follows teenage boy Telly's (played by Leo Fitzpatrick) efforts to try have sex with as many virgins as possible without informing them that he's HIV positive.
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Set in New York City, one of Telly's early victims Jenny (Chloë Sevigny) makes it her mission to warn other girls about him and his escapades.
Sevigny was 19 years old when she starred in the cult classic, while her co-star Rosario Dawson was just 15.
30 years after its release, and Kids has stuck in people's minds — in particular for those who watched it when they themselves were teenagers.
A clip of the movie was recently shared on a 90s nostalgia Instagram, page which sparked many to share their thoughts of it.
"It’s crazy how we watched that movie but I couldn’t even imagine showing it to my kids," one person wrote.
A second said of Kids: "One of the most realest, rawest movies ever!"
"This movie is really disturbing," commented a different person.
While 'disturbing', some people said the film should be 'essential viewing' for modern-day teens.
"This movie should be a requirement for school kids to watch," somebody wrote. "Too real even today," they added.
Echoing similar sentiments, another Kids viewer said: "This movie was the most realistic and traumatic film I have ever watched as a teen. I'm showing it to both my kids when they are a certain age."
"Teenagers should be forced to watch this film to scare them straight," insisted another film fan.
They went on: "I know it damn sure worked on me when I watched it at 16. Been extremely precautious ever since."
"I saw this in high school. Definitely teaches you lessons for sure," agreed someone else.
Sadly, Kids isn't streaming for free on any platforms, but it is currently available to rent on Prime Video.