Kidulthood

I have seen a bundle to Brit flicks that show a hyped by stylish glamorised side of London . Should be Lock Stock , or Snatch , or maybe even Notting Hill these movies have always shown the romantic side of London . However that Ladies and Gents is only the sugar coated topping , there is another world underneath that what is known to most of us who grew up on the streets of London as the real world . The director of Kidulthood does a masterful job giving us a vision of the urban hell-hole that we have all come to know ! The social issues that are highlighted in this film are spot on , whether it be the drug abuse , teenage pregnancies or the ever looming threat of the gang culture with the idiotic craze which is known as Happy slapping .We have all read about , seen it and, probably worst experienced it . Kidulthood presents to the viewer a true , grim , depiction of a life a 15 year old black teenager Trife and his life growing up in the tough neighbourhood and school where words come cheap .We are taken into his world for just 1 day and meet a whole host of characters who fit into the doomed path of life probably just like Trife . The acting was over the top brilliant to the point where to me personally it felt that it was not a film but you were watching someone's life unfold in front of you as the director chose's location's that were truly urban nitty and gritty to the point that you don't need to marvel at the breath taking scenery , you just want to focus as the story rolls along . I'm not a huge fan of Uk hip-hop but this time it seemed to fit in and add to the flavour of the film . The only drawback was that it was a little to over hyped and once or twice it did feel a bit unrealistic in some places but it stood on track and the humour was pretty funny in places as well especially with the white hoody guy. In general Kidulthood is a deep , dark , depressing look on the darker side of London's youth and by looking at it one will walk away probably wanting to take a look back at his life and see where is his or her future heading for . Kidulthood is highly recommended film by not only my-self but several other movie lovers and I shall very likely purchase this when it hits the DVD'S.

KIDULTHOOD SCORES : 8 OUT 10 FOR NOW THIS IS THE SHADOWMAN WISHING YOU ALL GOOD LUCK AND GOOD NIGHT .

Kidulthood is an energetic snap shot of wasted youth in London that's flawed, but definitely interesting.

For the most part, the young cast (except for a very hammy jamie winstone) give strong, naturalistic performances-particularly noel clarke whos shocking turn as the local badman sam, will instantly make you forget clarkes "oafish boyfriend" routine on doctor who. What gives the performances a higher level of authenticity is the slang and profanity heavy dialogue that serves as an accurate representation of how the kids talk these days (you don't know how old i feel writing that!).

However the films mission to keep things as raw and gritty as possible ends up as its down fall- the script tries so hard to make the kids seem so reckless and hedonistic that the trouble they get into just gets unrealistic and shocking for the sake of being shocking after a while. Also, the story is very predictable- you will know how this one turns out , not even halfway through its running time .

Kidulthood doesn't come close to being as good as the likes of city of god or La haine, but its a well acted drama that I have to commend for trying to show a side of London that many other local films choose to ignore.

As a black girl living in London, I saw how this film portrayed real life. In the scenes at the beginning, in the school, I could relate fully to the events. People may not think that it truly represents black people, or schools in London, I beg to differ. You obviously have not been in a bad enough school. The language used in the film, the slang, is a part of life now. I look at schools on the telly and wish that I do not have to call everyone 'blud'. If I do not, I will get beaten up for 'trying to be white'. Kidulthood was a fantastic film, showing, yes, a different way of life, but a true representation of it. It was actually quite unnerving at how similar life is for my community to that of the film.

I am not sure why this film is getting so many poor ratings. It is an excellent piece of film-making with a cracking script, fine performances and imaginative direction. A real eye opener that deserves a wide audience.

The movie has sparked some controversy in the UK for 'glorifying' the violence, sex and drugs portrayed but that is rubbish, this is essentially a deeply moral tale at heart.

Mark Kermode gave it a very sensible and measured review on his Radio 5 slot and I am in agreement with him.

I predict that a number of the actors in Kidulthood will go on to bigger things. A group of talent to watch.

STAR RATING: ***** The Works **** Just Misses the Mark *** That Little Bit In Between ** Lagging Behind * The Pits

When a girl who has suffered horrific bullying at school commits suicide, it leaves 15 year old Trife (Aml Ameen) and his two friends with the day off school. Trife starts the day by learning the unwanted news that his on-off girlfriend is pregnant and the baby might be his. Frustrated at hearing this, he sets off with his friends and embarks on a day of increasingly dangerous mischief. Juxtaposed with their story is that of his girlfriend, her qualms about keeping her baby and her moral free mate willing to do anything to score money and drugs. Their paths are set to collide and result in a devastating climax.

Kidulthood has that look and feel of a film out to shock (it managed a 15 certificate, but it must have only just scraped it!) If it's painting a picture of what life is really like for chavvy kids like this living on housing estates in inner-city areas, then the film manages to leave an even more downbeat and depressing taste in the mouth than it already did. It's well-acted enough, with a good lead in Ameen (who I recognized as Officer Lewis from The Bill-wouldn't have thought he'd come off as a 15 year old though) and a decent supporting cast, including an attractive presence in Madeleine Fairley (but, what can I say, a chavette's a chavvete!) It has a fine soundtrack, too, including some notable work from Mike Skinner and The Streets. It's far from a bad film, as it is, too, it's just so relentlessly bleak and with little in the way of humour and light that it never manages to come off as a truly enjoyable experience in any way. Still, it delivers what it says and more. ****