It's not hard to see why Larry Clark's debut film garnered the controversy that it did. It's about a couple of unruly teenage boys wandering around New York City drinking, taking drugs and having unprotected sex. That one of the boys knowingly and willingly infects virgins with the HIV virus was too much for many viewers and critics to handle. Shot in a quasi-documnetary style and unflinching when it comes to portraying its more unsavoury aspects, Kids was vilified in the mainstream press, with many questioning its artistic merit (as well as calling into question whether or not it could be considered pedophillic). If the content wasn't enough, the fact that Walt Disney-owned Miramax were distributing the film - under the banner of 'Shining Excalibur Films - was problematic for many. The film received an NC-17 rating from the MPAA (but was later released unrated) and grossed an impressive $20m on a $1.5m budget.
