Kidulthood

Infobox Film
name = Kidulthood

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caption = Poster for the movie showing the main characters
director = Menhaj Huda
producer = Menhaj Huda
James Armitage
Ray Panthaki
Damian Jones
Pierre Mascolo (exe.)
Marco Costa(exe.)
writer = Noel Clarke
executive producer =
starring = Aml Ameen
Red Madrell
Adam Deacon
Jaime Winstone
Femi Oyeniran
Madeleine Fairley
Cornell John
Kate Magowan
Pierre Mascolo
with Rafe Spall
and Noel Clarke
music = The Angel
Arkane
The Streets
cinematography = Brian Tufano
editing = Victoria Boydell
distributor = Revolver Entertainment
released = March 3, 2006
runtime = 89 min.
country = UK
language = English
budget = £800,000
followed_by = "Adulthood"
website = http://www.kidulthood.co.uk/
imdb_id = 0435680

"Kidulthood" is a 2006 British drama film about the life of several teenagers in the deprived Ladbroke Grove and Latimer Road area of Inner West London. It was directed by Menhaj Huda and written by Noel Clarke, who also stars in the film and directed the sequel, "Adulthood".

ynopsis

The film opens showing a school at lunch break with children playing football, while middle class student Blake (Nicholas Hoult) gives out invites to a party. The scene switches to Trevor (Aml Ameen) using the drill press, boring out an unseen object. Alisa (Red Madrell) comments on how she "doesn't feel well" and thinking about not attending the party, but her best friend Becky (Jaime Winstone) encourages her to go. We see Sam (Noel Clarke) spitting into Katie's hair and asking her where his girlfriend Claire (Madeleine Fairley) is, but Katie says she doesn't know. Jay (Adam Deacon) is seen kissing Claire; she asks Jay if he is scared and he replies negatively.

The film then uses the "day in the life of" device, beginning with a group of "kidults" getting the day off school after Katie's suicide as a result of being bullied. The film then slowly builds up to the climactic house party. It revolves around three teenagers: Trevor, who is more commonly known by his street name Trife, Jay and Moony (Femi Oyeniran).

Trife is being tempted into the gangster lifestyle by his uncle who requests him to do illegal errands, but simultaneously Alisa is offering a chance to a better life. However, a rumour that Alisa has slept with someone else might influence this life-changing decision. Trife also has to deal with the school bully, Sam, who is out for revenge after Jay steals his girlfriend Claire, and after Trife, Jay and Moony beat Sam up in his own house during a break-in to retrieve Jay's sister's Game Boy. On their escape from Sam's house, they push Sam's mother which further enrages him.

At the same time, Alisa has just learned that she’s pregnant and her friend Becky wants to take her out on a drug and shopping binge. The film heads toward a conclusion with Katie's brother set on revenge for his sister’s suicide and with Sam looking for payback at the house party thrown by Blake. Trife and Alisa reconcile, while Becky tries to hook up first with Moony and then with Jay. Sam arrives, armed with a baseball bat, and Trife is seriously injured after a blow to the stomach. Katie's brother Lenny arrives, brandishing a pistol he procured from Trave's uncle. He threatens Sam, who cowers and cries in fright, but Trife prevents Sam's murder with his final words of "He's not worth it". Then, as Katie's brother is leaving, Sam insults him. Lenny fires the pistol, only to have it misfire and explode. Lenny and Sam flee the scene as the paramedics arrive to help Trife, but Trife's injury is fatal and he soon dies.

Cast

* Aml Ameen as Trevor "Trife"
* Red Madrell as Alisa
* Noel Clarke as Sam
* Jaime Winstone as Becky
* Adam Deacon as Jay
* Madeleine Fairley as Claire
* Femi Oyeniran as Moony
* Nicholas Hoult as Blake
* Rafe Spall as Lenny
* James Cain as Shop Keeper

Critical reaction

Writing in "The Guardian", Miranda Sawyer called the film, "a rollicking UK youth ride, cinematically filmed, persuasively acted and bumped along by a fantastic all-British soundtrack... It's also very funny, laced with a humour of the slapped-in-the-face-with-a-kipper sort: you can't help laughing because it's so outrageous." [ [http://film.guardian.co.uk/features/featurepages/0,,1717952,00.html The film that speaks to Britain's youth in words they understand] , "The Guardian", 26 February 2006] Stephen Armstrong in "The Times", however, said: "The only people who should be shocked by this film are people who have never been teenagers. What "Kidulthood" does is take all the violence, sex and intoxication experienced in a teenage year and condense it into a single day, because that’s far more marketable than a film about eight kids spending four hours sitting on the swings wondering what to do." [ [http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/article736252.ece Who are they trying to kid?] , "The Times", 5 March 2006] The "Daily Mirror" described it as being, "as potent as a shot of vodka before breakfast - a harrowing, uncompromisingly bleak but thoughtful look at the anguish of being young and poor in Britain." [ [http://www.mirror.co.uk/showbiz/entertainment/movies/2006/03/03/kidulthood-89520-16759766/ Review] , "The Daily Mirror", 3 March 2006]

Production

According to the director, "Kidulthood" cost just short of £800,000 to make. London Hip-hop group Arkane wrote the title track for the film. The film was principally shot in the actual areas in which it is set; for example, Alisa and Becky's journey on the London Underground is between Ladbroke Grove and Royal Oak stations. A sequel, "Adulthood" was released in June 2008, written and directed by Clarke.

References

See also

*West 10 LDN (also known as W10 LDN)

External links

* [http://www.kidulthood.co.uk/ Official website]
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