“The Decline of Western Civilization III,” a documentary directed by Penelope Spheeris in 1998, explores the lives of homeless teenagers immersed in the gutter punk subculture. This film is the third installment in Spheeris’s trilogy that examines different facets of life in Los Angeles over time. The initial film focused on the punk rock scene of 1980-1981, while the second highlighted the heavy metal movement from 1986-1988. In this third film, Spheeris delves into the world of hardcore street punks, known as “gutter punks,” who fully embrace an anti-establishment ethos and disconnect from mainstream society. The documentary features interviews with homeless teens residing on the streets or in abandoned buildings in Los Angeles, as well as conversations with an unstable mother, LAPD officer Gary Fredo, and a young person living with paralysis and relying on disability benefits.