This document discusses several philosophers and concepts that inform an interpretation of the film Kids by Larry Clark and Harmony Korine. It outlines Michel Foucault's concepts of deductive and generative power, which are demonstrated in a scene from the film. It also discusses Giorgio Agamben's concept of "homo sacer" and how it relates to Foucault's theory of biopower and control over life. Finally, it discusses Jean-Luc Nancy's work on myth and community and how Kids uses postmodern myths of city life to create an abstract philosophical inquiry through rituals of modern society.

1. Power Theory in Film
Featuring Kids by Larry Cark and Harmony Korine

2. Michel Foucault
• A famed French philosopher and theorist, Foucault is known for many
great works of thought.
• The History of Sexuality contains several theories key to my
interpretation of Kids. Other works by him include concepts also key
to my interpretation, such as the concept of “biopower”
• Foucault says that in history there has been two epochs of power, the
epoch of Deductive power and the epoch of Generative power, the
latter being the current epoch.
• Here is a scene from the film in which Telly uses Deductive power to
take what he wants, to sieze it, a theme prevalent through the film

4. Giorgio Agamben
• Agamben, also a famed thinker and Italian philosopher, used
Foucoults theories to look at specific actions of power in society.
• One such theory that made Agamben realize his prized though, that
of the Homo Sacer, was the theory of biopower. Biopower is the
action of biopolitics.
• This is in essence based on the fact that the social and political
spectrums of society have direct control over life.
• The Homo Sacer is a concept heavily intertwined with Kids,

5. The sacred man is the one whom the people have judged on account of
a crime. It is not permitted to sacrifice this man, yet he who kills him
will not be condemned for homicide; in the first tribunitian law, in fact,
it is noted that “if someone kills the one who is sacred according to the
plebiscite, it will not be considered homicide.” This is why it is
customary for a bad or impure man to be called sacred.
~ Pompeius Festus

8. Jean Luc Nancy
• A French philosopher and theoretician, Nancy interpreted the works of
past philosophers to create works in relation to modern time. One such
work was The Inoperative community.
• In this work, Nancy spends a whole chapter on myth and it’s relation to
community, and the general myth of community.
• Kids uses the post modern mythos of city life to create an abstraction of
classical philosophic inquiry.
• By using rituals of modern society throughout his films, Korine manages to
imbue each of his films with their own mythological structure, thus
allowing them life beyond simple storytelling.