Us Kids

2020 Directed by Kim A. Snyder

Determined to turn unfathomable tragedy into action, the teenage survivors of Parkland, Florida catalyze a powerful, unprecedented youth movement that spreads with lightning speed across the country, as a generation of mobilized youth take back democracy in this powerful coming-of-age story.

98 mins More details at IMDb TMDb Report this film

Popular reviews

Review by davidehrlich ★★½ 1

How do you make a movie about the gun crisis in America? How do you document a plague in a country that has become so desensitized to the pain it causes? How — at a time of such rampant inhumanity that millions of people seem resigned to even the most preventable horrors — do you possibly make a film that resonates with this amnesiac nation in a way that regular images of murdered club-goers, concert attendees, religious worshippers, multiplex patrons, Walmart shoppers, children, children, children, and always more children, have not?
If these aren’t rhetorical questions, that’s only because well-intentioned filmmakers like Kim A. Snyder will be reckoning with them for a long time to come. We’re lucky for their…
Review by Jack ★★★½

Currently free to rent on Alamo Drafthouse On Demand
You know, I'm so proud of this generation. I always clown on them but, there's a lot of them who want to make a change. This a pretty decent documentary about the troubling epidemic we are facing right now. Stricter gun control and a revaluation of our crippling mental health system is the way to go. Our future depends on this generation. Defeating Trumpisim is a good start. Up next is to hold accountable all of the democrats, politicians who were elected and are currently taking money from big corporations. The NRA is doing absolutely nothing to help prevent gun violence. It's time for them to be dismantled.
Yeah, today was a good day. But, I'm still worried about the future of this country.
Review by Jonathan Pickett ★★★★½

Sundance #11. Vaping and drinking boba and tripping in heels and playing football in parking lots and watching Instagram stories and wishing they were at summer camp. These are just some of the ways the filmmakers reminded us throughout that these people on screen are kids. It’s honestly easy to forget! They make speeches, lead rallies, answer news cameras’ questions, strategize, accept awards at fancy banquets. But at the end of the day, they’re still playing with squishy boba in their mouths because they are just kids. Highlighting that was very moving for me, and so was the way the filmmakers used that to show, yes they’re just kids, but that does not by any means indicate that they’re incapable.…
Review by calvin_ryerse ★★★★½

Today I had a woman tell me that it doesn't matter that people die from lack of healthcare because the lines are too long. She's an RN. I'm currently living on a tour bus, we're traveling around the country trying to engage religious people to vote for dems. The section about their experience on the bus was devastatingly true to my experience.
Just a really incredible documentary, and not just because of its topic. Structurally complex, storytelling that is nuanced and filled with great tensions.
y'all mfs better get the fuck out and vote and then keep pushing.
Review by Jerome1994 ★★★★½

I’m going to keep this short because Us Kids isn’t really something that needs a long explanation of why it’s so powerful. Us Kids as you can tell from the summery is about the 2018 Parkland Shooting, the movie also cleverly connects stories to black students who have experienced gun violence that the media doesn’t give enough attention. Us Kids is truly a powerful documentary it’s about stepping up when your leaders don’t do a single thing and keep saying the exact same thing over and over again. There’s tons of powerful moments here, moments that if you have watched the news around the time the shooting happened you will most definitely remember and some very emotional moments as well.…
Review by Robert Daniels ★★½

For many, the events of February 14, 2018, when a gunman murdered 17 people in Florida’s Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, never really ended. And the day’s true physical and emotional toll remains untallied. With gun-control themed documentaries like “Newtown” and “Lessons from a School Shooting: Notes from Dunblane” under her belt, Kim A. Snyder directing “Us Kids” is a logical next step for her on the subject of gun violence.
Unlike other Parkland documentaries, which combined interviews from the parents and children most affected by the tragedy such as “Parkland Rising” and “After Parkland,” Snyder restricts her focus solely to the teens. The decision grants the director greater access to the main players than has been afforded to other documentaries, but the opportunity is squandered.
Review by lukemick ★★½

Sundance 2020 Film #3
A good, inspirational doc. The execution is a little messy. The narrative is often unfocused and teases us with several false endings. Still, it’s nice to see this side of the victims of Parkland.
Review by Kyle Bailey ★★★★½

Watched on Alamo Drafthouse Virtual Cinema
A better documentary overall than the other Parkland kids doc recently called After Parkland that is up on Hulu now (and I am in for a brief moment in the crowd shot!) actually talking to the main figures of the March For Our Lives movement that probably granted more exclusive access than the other documentary since a lot of them besides David Hogg were glaringly omitted from that one. This one focuses more on the trauma and fight they have led the last 2 1/2 years getting youth voters more encouraged to vote and ushering a new generation of younger people to be politically active. We also see how much better they are than…
Review by Claire ★★★★

Cried a lot during this. Young people, my generation, did all of this. They stepped up and changed things and inspired so many people. I remember Parkland and so many other mass shootings and I remember siting in my own high school classrooms thinking will this happen to me? I remember going to March For Our Lives in DC and feeling the energy of so many young people who just want change. They give me hope for the future
Review by Kaela

I dont know how to “rate” this but i’m crying and i trust the youth in this documentary more than almost any elected official
Review by Kenny Miles ★★★½

Very inspiring. I loved these kids. A palette cleanser to BOYS STATE (but that's a vastly superior doc).
Review by Helen ★★★★

Honestly don’t know why there are so many reviews on here saying this documentary is “messy” and “unfocused.” I throughly enjoyed this and think it may have seemed “messy” because the gun issue has many parts to it so you can’t just focus on one part over the other. Maybe I enjoyed this because I remember when the Parkland shooting happened and then watching kids my age fight for gun control on tv. That really inspired me. My family and I went to the March for our Lives march in Washington and saw them speak live. I follow most of these people. They got me interested in politics and have inspired me ever since. To think that people my age…

Recent reviews

Review by Adam ★★½

The film is passable but the subjects are clearly the draw here. These kids are pretty amazing! The way they speak shows maturity long past their 17-year-old minds. As they say in the film, they don't want to be spending their high school advocating against gun violence, they HAVE to.
Review by Carson Timar ★★★

US KIDS is a rather moving documentary that where relevant, also felt a bit too basic. This is a great introduction to the topic of the fight for gun rights specifically in the wake of the horrific Parkland Shooting but for those who already are invested and have followed the topic, there really isn't anything new within the film that would elevate it to must-watch status.
Overall Grade: B
Review by Jack ★★★½

Currently free to rent on Alamo Drafthouse On Demand
You know, I'm so proud of this generation. I always clown on them but, there's a lot of them who want to make a change. This a pretty decent documentary about the troubling epidemic we are facing right now. Stricter gun control and a revaluation of our crippling mental health system is the way to go. Our future depends on this generation. Defeating Trumpisim is a good start. Up next is to hold accountable all of the democrats, politicians who were elected and are currently taking money from big corporations. The NRA is doing absolutely nothing to help prevent gun violence. It's time for them to be dismantled.
Yeah, today was a good day. But, I'm still worried about the future of this country.
Review by Kyle Bailey ★★★★½

Watched on Alamo Drafthouse Virtual Cinema
A better documentary overall than the other Parkland kids doc recently called After Parkland that is up on Hulu now (and I am in for a brief moment in the crowd shot!) actually talking to the main figures of the March For Our Lives movement that probably granted more exclusive access than the other documentary since a lot of them besides David Hogg were glaringly omitted from that one. This one focuses more on the trauma and fight they have led the last 2 1/2 years getting youth voters more encouraged to vote and ushering a new generation of younger people to be politically active. We also see how much better they are than…
Review by Jerome1994 ★★★★½

I’m going to keep this short because Us Kids isn’t really something that needs a long explanation of why it’s so powerful. Us Kids as you can tell from the summery is about the 2018 Parkland Shooting, the movie also cleverly connects stories to black students who have experienced gun violence that the media doesn’t give enough attention. Us Kids is truly a powerful documentary it’s about stepping up when your leaders don’t do a single thing and keep saying the exact same thing over and over again. There’s tons of powerful moments here, moments that if you have watched the news around the time the shooting happened you will most definitely remember and some very emotional moments as well.…
Review by Claire ★★★★

Cried a lot during this. Young people, my generation, did all of this. They stepped up and changed things and inspired so many people. I remember Parkland and so many other mass shootings and I remember siting in my own high school classrooms thinking will this happen to me? I remember going to March For Our Lives in DC and feeling the energy of so many young people who just want change. They give me hope for the future
Review by Robert Daniels ★★½

For many, the events of February 14, 2018, when a gunman murdered 17 people in Florida’s Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, never really ended. And the day’s true physical and emotional toll remains untallied. With gun-control themed documentaries like “Newtown” and “Lessons from a School Shooting: Notes from Dunblane” under her belt, Kim A. Snyder directing “Us Kids” is a logical next step for her on the subject of gun violence.
Unlike other Parkland documentaries, which combined interviews from the parents and children most affected by the tragedy such as “Parkland Rising” and “After Parkland,” Snyder restricts her focus solely to the teens. The decision grants the director greater access to the main players than has been afforded to other documentaries, but the opportunity is squandered.
Review by Kaela

I dont know how to “rate” this but i’m crying and i trust the youth in this documentary more than almost any elected official
Review by m.alice ★★★★

i would follow these kids to hell and back, not much more to say! i really can’t wait til they start running shit around here! i will die protecting these kids!! david and emma’s relationship is so profound and sweet!! cameron if you’re reading this, you didn’t fail hunny!! love yourself!! sam, please take care of yourself and maybe relax with the vape pen!
Review by Max Bahneman ★★★★

Milwaukee Film Festival 2020 Film #23
Wednesday, October 28
A hard to watch but inspiring documentary about the Parkland kids. These kids are absolutely inspiring and I truly believe the youth will lead us into a better future. Many tears were shed and chills were felt.
Review by Brian Skutle ★★★½

sonic-cinema.com/movie/us-kids/
Review by Onelaj25 ★★★½

I like that this doc takes a look at the former students/now activists from the Parkland shooting in addition to other young people who joined their fight along the way. It does not focus on the event itself, but the movement they started afterwards. Truly a story about people and the impact of trauma.
TW: discussions of gun violence and mental health