Movie Review Kidulthood

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2006 – Spoiler alerts An incredibly violent movie set in London with a virtually unknown cast of youngsters. This runs like a particularly bad day at Grange Hill to many who remember that British TV series. When a 14 year old girl commits suicide after intense bullying at school, the kids are given 48 hours off, and spend it shoplifting, fighting, taking drugs, gaining money through prostitution and preparing for a drug and alcohol fuelled party. One girl discovers she is pregnant and tells her equally under-age lover Trevor, but he initially refuses to stand by her and admit to being the father, so she cruelly taunts him with a lie about having slept with Sam, a hard-line gangster and the leader of the bullies who drove the suicidal girl to her death. Trevor hangs around with his violent pals, but he is increasingly alienated from their World. His alienation peaks when his own uncle gives him a gun, and also obliges on him to help slash open the face of a drug-user who has not paid his debt on time. At the party, Trevor and his pregnant girlfriend Alisa declare their love for one another and they are about to leave both the party and their whole violent criminal lifestyle when Sam arrives and critically beats Trevor up with a baseball bat. Hi own attack is interrupted when the brother of the girl who committed suicide, arrives intent on hooting Sam in revenge. Sam is saved when Trevor uses his dying breath to demand that am be left alive, not out of mercy but because he just isn’t worth killing. Alica grieves for Trevor and Sam is left just standing there while the police and ambulance arrive on the scene as the movie ends. Tense, uncomfortably documentary-like in style with few likable characters, but unforgettable. Trevor and Alicia are not engaging enough for their Romeo & Juliet tragedy to really engage us. It is still pretty potent material. The film has two sequels, Adulthood and Brotherhood. The soundtrack, including songs by Dizzy Rascal and The Streets is terrific too. Youtube – The Streets – Stay Positive Arthur Chappell