Having now watched the entire Decline of Western Civilization series, newly restored and released as one, I can officially say Part III is my favourite of the trilogy. While the previous films focused on beginner punk bands in L.A. (part I), and then the heavy metal following of the 80s (part II), part III nearly completely abandons the musical aspect of the series to instead focus on the punk followers.
Spheeris engages with a group of homeless youth living in downtown L.A. They are mostly teens and mostly look healthy and okay but as she interviews the children they reveal, with unflinching honesty, the abuse that led them to the streets, the boredom of their lives, and their total lack of hope (in one truly touching sequence Spheeris asks her group of misfits where they think they will be in 5 years; most of them reply that they'll be dead.
A truly heartbreaking look at the forgotten youth of America.
Spheeris engages with a group of homeless youth living in downtown L.A. They are mostly teens and mostly look healthy and okay but as she interviews the children they reveal, with unflinching honesty, the abuse that led them to the streets, the boredom of their lives, and their total lack of hope (in one truly touching sequence Spheeris asks her group of misfits where they think they will be in 5 years; most of them reply that they'll be dead.
A truly heartbreaking look at the forgotten youth of America.