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 ritty"
is a word used far too often to categorise films.
It appears that anything vaguely realistic or that
plays outside of the regular rom-com or
blockbuster format of
Hollywood
is labelled "gritty", regardless of
importance or quality. To give Menhaj Huda's
"KiDulthood" such a label would be in
contradiction to the film's values; it aims to be
a blunt, stark, and realistic portrayal of life
for kids in the rougher parts of West London by
showing the audience some of the things that go
down, as opposed to shocking them with the type of
sensationalism that has earned several films the
dreaded "gritty" label. And, for the
most part, it delivers.
The format of
"KiDulthood is similar to that of Larry
Clark's "Kids": a group of arrogant
teenagers leave school for the day after a girl
they knew committed suicide as a result of
bullying, and engage in violence, sex and other
activities that will most likely shape their lives
forever. Among them is the slightly older bully
Sam; the conflicted, headstrong Trife; the amoral
girl Becky; and the drug-addicted and soon-to-be
teenage mother Alisa.
Suffice to say,
"KiDulthood" is not sugarcoated. The
most notable thing about the movie is how it
juxtaposes style and content.
"KiDulthood" is very stylised, with all
means of camera and lighting techniques on
display, adding an almost glossy veneer to the
film. Yet, despite this, the gritty feel of the
subject matter is never compromised. Menhaj Huda
manages to carefully juggle style and content and
somehow create something that looks incredible but
also has a good story and message behind it,
elevating it above the standard of most low-budget
films.
The script, penned by Noel
Clarke (who also stars as Sam) is consistently
on-point, delivering characters and situations
that almost everyone is able to relate to. Drawing
heavily from his own experiences growing up in
West London
, Clarke gives the viewer the experience of being
a teenager in those rough areas, and creates
characters that we feel as if we already know.
This, coupled with Huda's attempts to keep the
film incredibly kinetic creates the raw energy of
the teenage mentality. With this,
"KiDulthood" hits the viewer with an
unflinching extra-sensory experience.
However, despite the kinetic
pace and real-to-life story, the characters in
"KiDulthood" seem somewhat undeveloped,
with main protagonists Trife and Alisa being
two-dimensional at best. As for bully Sam and
loose Becky, they might as well have
"Evil" and "Slutty" written on
their heads, respectively, and Trife's
"yardie" uncle is so contrived that he
becomes unintentionally comedic. It seems like
Noel Clarke used the "universal
characters" excuse while writing
"KiDulthood", and in trying to create
characters that we already know, rested on his
laurels before giving them the complexities in
making them seem like the people
that we already know.
But when you consider that
lack of character development is the only thing
that stops it from being a 5-star movie, you start
to forgive "KiDulthood" for its flaws.
Apart from being a bold, unapologetic movie,
"KiDulthood" is cool, and offers 90
minutes of energetic entertainment. Although it is
not for everyone, it is still, as they say, good
stuff.
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