Whether you regard his films a tragic reflection on the state of disenfranchised youth or exploitational trash that actually encourages the questionable behavior he claims to spotlight, there's no denying that former social renegade photographer turned controversial filmmaker Larry Clark has forced a generation of parents and children to take pause and consider their relationships to each other and the tragedy that can result from negligence and lack of communication. An artist who readily admits to his sometimes dangerous youth serving as inspiration for his often disturbing ventures into the world of teenage sex, violence, and drug abuse, Clark's films are consistent in their uncompromising approach to the darker side of teen angst. Often viewing such shocking activities in agonizing detail, Clark has been labeled everything from child pornographer to visionary genius. A photographer long before he moved into motion pictures, the future filmmaker led a sometimes violent youth during his tenure at Central High School in Tulsa, OK. Obsessed with capturing the sometimes morbid beauty of youthful depravity, Clark documented his youth in black-and-white stills (Tulsa) before studying under Walter Sheffer and Gerrard Baker at the Layton School of Art in Milwaukee, WI. Subsequently releasing such luridly titled photo collections as Teenage Lust, Clark moved into the realm of motion pictures in 1995 with the highly controversial Kids. Drawing equal measures of praise and criticism due to its unflinching portrayal of amoral urban teens, Kids…  » Read more