Review
Featuring bullying, casual sex, hard drug abuse, complete disregard for authority, organized crime and even murder, if ever a film wanted an ASBO more than an Oscar, it's Kidulthood. Wearing its multiracial "messed-up youth" mantra as a badge of honour, this seems - at first glance - to be a deliberate assault on Middle England values.
Writer-star Noel Clarke is having none of it, saying the film, directed by former music video and commercials maker Menhaj Huda, isn't meant to be controversial. Still, if you spent half a year tearing out the most unpleasant stories from around the country, pasted them all into one colour supplement - complete with a free cutting-edge hip-hop and 'grime' soundtrack - and held it up as a state-of-the-nation report, the dreadfully-titled Kidulthood would be the result.
Making social commentary out of such exceptional events is problematic at best. On one hand you've got Trife (Ameen), caught between pregnant ex-girlfriend Alisa (Madrell) and gunrunning for his malevolent uncle. Then there's Trife's mates Jay (Deacon) and Moony (Oyeniran), spoiling for a fight with neighbourhood bully Sam (Clarke), Jay going so far as to steal Sam's abused girlfriend (Fairley). Meanwhile Alisa's best friend Becky is going around the area granting sexual favours in exchange for cocaine. And Lenny (Spall), the brother of classmate Kate, who killed herself 10 minutes into the film, is seeking revenge on the bullies who drove her to suicide. By the way, most of these kids are fifteen years old. No one plot strand above is perhaps impossible, but collapsed into one whole it verges on hysterical.
Writer-star Noel Clarke is having none of it, saying the film, directed by former music video and commercials maker Menhaj Huda, isn't meant to be controversial. Still, if you spent half a year tearing out the most unpleasant stories from around the country, pasted them all into one colour supplement - complete with a free cutting-edge hip-hop and 'grime' soundtrack - and held it up as a state-of-the-nation report, the dreadfully-titled Kidulthood would be the result.
Making social commentary out of such exceptional events is problematic at best. On one hand you've got Trife (Ameen), caught between pregnant ex-girlfriend Alisa (Madrell) and gunrunning for his malevolent uncle. Then there's Trife's mates Jay (Deacon) and Moony (Oyeniran), spoiling for a fight with neighbourhood bully Sam (Clarke), Jay going so far as to steal Sam's abused girlfriend (Fairley). Meanwhile Alisa's best friend Becky is going around the area granting sexual favours in exchange for cocaine. And Lenny (Spall), the brother of classmate Kate, who killed herself 10 minutes into the film, is seeking revenge on the bullies who drove her to suicide. By the way, most of these kids are fifteen years old. No one plot strand above is perhaps impossible, but collapsed into one whole it verges on hysterical.
The contrivances are all the more frustrating because when Kidulthood steers away from its tabloid-baiting antics to concentrate on more typical teenage struggles it is convincing. Clarke's screenplay teems with authentic modern slang and is filled with telling observations: how (lack of) sexual prowess is a potent tool to blackmail or shame a person; the fine line between fitting in or being true to yourself; how adults are often peripheral figures in a teenager's life; and the racial stereotyping that goes hand in hand with minority groups in urban areas. As hoodie-wearing Moony points out when he can't get a taxi, "ain't that ironic - black cab don't take black man."
The cast of near-unknowns, including the offspring of actors Ray Winstone (Jamie) and Timothy Spall (Rafe) handle their unlikable roles well, and the soundtrack, featuring artists like Dizzee Rascal and The Streets, hits home, even if director Huda's handling of the music, and shifts in his story's tone lacks nuance. Veteran Trainspotting cinematographer Brian Tufano helps add a persuasive, fresh look to the West London locations.
The cast of near-unknowns, including the offspring of actors Ray Winstone (Jamie) and Timothy Spall (Rafe) handle their unlikable roles well, and the soundtrack, featuring artists like Dizzee Rascal and The Streets, hits home, even if director Huda's handling of the music, and shifts in his story's tone lacks nuance. Veteran Trainspotting cinematographer Brian Tufano helps add a persuasive, fresh look to the West London locations.
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