This documentary on the bleak and rough lifestyle of homeless gutterpunk teenagers and young adults who eke out a thankless existence on the mean streets of Los Angeles paints a searing and startling portrait of a segment of society that's basically been ignored and abandoned by the mainstream culture. Director Penelope Spheeris does a remarkable job of getting these kids to open up and lays themselves bare emotionally for the camera: They are essentially toxic products of abusive and dysfunctional families who drink lots of beer and embrace the nihilistic ethos of punk as a means of surmounting the pain and anguish bubbling just underneath the surface of their devil-may-care posturing attitude. It's particularly depressing to witness how the gutterpunks have completely given up on hope for a better tomorrow: When asked where they will be in five to ten years, the bulk of them answer that they will most probably be dead -- and two of them it's revealed did indeed die prior to the release of this movie. Not surprisingly, the few punk bands featured herein are extremely bitter and more critical and resentful of both politicians and organized religion. (In a neat ironic touch, the various members of the group Naked Aggression turn out to be classical musicians!). An extremely sad and sobering film.
