KIDULTHOOD
Starring:
Aml Ameen, Red Madrell, Jamie Winstone, Adam Deacon, Femi Oyeniran, Rafe Spall
and Noel Clarke
Director:
Menhaj Huda
Running Time:
89 mins
"At least we get the day off"
After the death of a student in their class, Trife (Ameen), Jay (Deacon) and Mooney (Oyeniran) head out to enjoy their day off. Alisa (Madrell) has more to think about however but her best friend Becky (Winstone) is determined to take her mind off her growing problem. Sam (Clarke) however is out for revenge as his reputation has taken a beating and he wants to show that is still the hardest man on the block.
After years and years of Hollywood's interpretation of high school life, we finally get to see that British schools are very different to anything in the US.
The talented actor Noel Clarke showcases a new side to his skills by writing the screenplay to this no-holds barred look into the lives of five London high school students. Here we see their problems, their attitudes to life and the pressures of living in the nation's capital. Clarke tries to show the reality of youngsters' lives and their own anxieties.
Telling the story from two different sets of friends, we see the pressures of teenage life for both sexes. This isn't your typical sugar coated view of life however instead we see everything from drug use, unprotected sex and excessive violence. The script tries to reflect the current attitude and mentally of British teenagers from disadvantaged backgrounds and it succeeds, for the most part.
Watchers might feel that the film goes a little too far when it comes to showing a day in the lives of Trife, Jay, Mooney, Alisa and Becky but this reflects the modern problems and pressures faced by teenagers living in run down areas of London or any other urban town in the country. Each of these fifteen year olds is facing social pressure over sex, drugs and their position within their circle of friends and schools mates. These are issues of our age and ones that school kids face everyday.
Bringing this gritty material to life is a collection of young British talent that get to showcase what they can do. Leading the line is a scene stealing performance from Aml Ameen as Trife. Torn between loyalty to his local thug and drug dealing uncle, his friends and his girlfriend, Ameen portrays the character with realism and conflict as he tries to choose his own path. Red Madrell is also excellent as Trife's girlfriend Alisa, who has her own rather large problem to deal with and she isn't been helped by her wayward friend Becky, played the equally talented Jamie Winstone. Adam Deacon provides the comedy as Jay but Femi Oyeniran is a little too stereotypical as Moony. The writer himself, Noel Clarke is also good as local hardman Sam.
'Kidulthood' might feel like it is pandering to all the media misconceptions of what it is like to be a teenager in an underachieving high school catchment area. Director Menhaj Huda's visual flair and uncompromising approach to the subject matter make this a true reflection of the British teenagers it tries to portray. Gritty and hard-hitting, this is that might not go as far as could be is still a film that proves that British film industry is not dead.
PICTURE & SOUND
Presented in Anamorphic Widescreen 1.85:1 with Dolby Digital 5.1, the movie is presented well, especially when you take into account low budget of the production.
BONUS FEATURES
Cast and Crew Interviews
Director Menhaj Huda, music supervisor Ian Neil and stars Noel Clarke
(Sam), Jamie Winstone (Becky), Red Madrell (Alisa) and Ami Ameen (Trife)
talk about making 'Kidulthood'. They discuss the approach to the movie,
its reality to modern UK urban high school teenagers' problems and who
the film is aimed at. The actors also discuss the characters and the importance
of music within the movie is also talked about. These interviews offer
an insight into the making of a low budget British movie with an important
message to say.
Never Seen Before Deleted Scenes
Entitled 'Deleted Stella and Trife scene', 'Extended Burger Bar scene',
'Extended Trife and Jay scene (Bedroom)', 'Extended Becky and Alisa scene',
'Extended Becky and Alisa scene (tube)', 'Extended Trife and Stella scene
(Shop)', 'Extended Moony and Becky scene (Shopping centre) and 'Extended
Sam bedroom scene', these deleted or extended scenes suffer from the lack
of a commentary track or introduction to reveal why they were removed.
Behind the Scene (4.59 mins)
Watch B-Roll footage from the scene were Trife has to complete a gruesome
task for his uncle.
Exclusive Premiere Footage (5.20 mins)
Interviews with stars Noel Clarke and Ami Ameen and soundtrack contributors
Skinnyman, Roots Manuva and Blak Twag, as they talk about the movie at
the London premiere.
Exclusive Premiere After party Footage (5.47 mins)
Watch Skinnyman & Singa Blunga and DJ Skitz, MCD and Million Dan perform
at the premiere party. Bonus Track and Picture Gallery - Arkane 'Supo
Mungam' View publicity shots from 'Kidulthood' while listen to soundtrack
contributor Arkane.
Bonus Music Video - Skinnyman 'Council Estate of Mind' (5.12 mins)
Watch the promotional video from the soundtrack with footage from the
film
Theatrical Trailer (2.03 mins)
Watch the promotional trailer for the movie
Trailers
Previews of Billabong Odyssey, Grizzly Man and 13
OVERALL
The DVD package for 'Kidulthood' is very good, especially when you bear in mind that this is a low budget release. With over ninety minutes worth of bonus material informs you about the film production. The only thing missing is a commentary track but the extensive interviews more than make up for this. Fans of the film should be very pleased.
DVD
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2006