Search - Kidulthood on DVD

Wearing a school uniform doesn't mean leading a calm life.

Jeffery Mingo | Homewood, IL USA | 11/20/2009

(3 out of 5 stars)

"Two stories entwine (sp?) in this film about London youth. This film did have elements of "Kids," "Boyz N Da Hood," and "Menace II Society," but it was still original and jaw-dropping.

This film shows violent, disrespectful, evildoers, of both genders and many races. They are unlovable characters for which it is hard to root. I thought of the clich'e "If you lie down with dogs" as I watched this. Since the characters are so nasty to their enemies and strangers, it's no surprise that they become nasty with each other.

While American films can be multi-culty, study after study after study show that the US is highly segregated in schools, neighborhoods, and especially marriage. Here you see white, Black, and Asian Brits intermingling frequently. Not one character disapproves of interracial coupling, while in most American films, there is at least one character who would make a fuss about it. Seeing the ethnic bonding throughout the film seemed so unlike the US.

This film also shows a gray area regarding racism in the UK. For example, Black males have trouble getting a cab, but once they do ride in one, they stiff the cabbie. Later, the Black males are spied upon by store security. In the same way that "The Color Puprle" needed Sophia's story in order to show that while Celie was a domestic violence victim, all the characters still lived in a racially-oppressive context, here these mean kids also facee structural inequalities.

I kept asking myself, "Who is the audience for this film!?" I assume most films with young actors are attracting a young market. However, I did wonder if the film was meant to make adult scream, "What is this world coming to?!" This was just another film portraying youth as a "lost generation." Still, I wonder if young viewers would get a kick or laugh watching their parents and elders squirm at the destructive acts shown in this film.

This was an interesting study in how groups oftentimes exacerbate the bad deeds of individual members. The film does try to have a redemptive quality by its end. Further, this has a great British rap soundtrack that rap fans in the US may love. Sensitive viewers should stay away from this film, but the work is a valuable cultural product."

Entertaining but stereotyped, cliched, and pointless

Ibraar Hussain | London, England | 07/01/2008

(2 out of 5 stars)

"This film portrays a day in the life of some SCHOOL KIDS (in inner London), it wasn't trying to portray gun gangs etc to the world, it WAS portraying teenagers, in school uniform. It was trying to portray the contemporary garbage talk and barely legible English which our future subjects currently speak in their school yard p*ssing grounds and inner city pit holes. And yes, seeing as in my line of work I come across degenerates like these day in an day out, it does do a basic good job of roughly portraying them, and their attitude, however the 4'6" types wouldn't get away with half they did in the movie.



The acting is poor - over acting is the norm here, your typical stereotypes abound. The scenarios really take leaps of faith, bordering on the fantastical. I mean, the day started with bullying, main dessert; a suicide, was followed up by a pregnancy, bouts of prostitution, under age sex, Paedaphilia, drugs, gun running, Heroin, Glaswegian Smiles, torture, more beatings, girl bashing, humiliation, more drugs, drink, insults, mum bashing, theft, robbery, and ended with a party, and two murders! Wow! A day in the life of your common or lesser spotted teenager school kid in Ladbroke Grove (and yes Ladbroke Grove is a dump) - oh and let's not forget the '6th former' (Sam) How he got into the 6th form? I suppose he probably gave his teacher a nosh or something, as there's no way on Earth reprobates like that would ever get there!

The Director also seemed to be portraying unplanned school age teenage Pregnancies as acceptable!

As a film, it doesn't tell me anything i don't know already, so it is entertaining without being a work of





What the film DOES do is portray the generation as egotistical, selfish, cold, decadent, greedy, self obsessed, cold heartless, materialistic, disrespectful, miserable, unhappy, intellectually retarded, linguistically limited, ignorant, shallow, amoral, immoral, vain, narcissistic, cruel, spiritually lacking, uneducated and pathetic. And to all intents and purposes, it portrays this with much vigoor and succeeds!

Having been working amongst such persons daily, and being related to such types I know them well,and see their flaws and have seen their gradual erosion. and pity them more than anything else. Urban society has degenerated to such an extent that the future is very bleak!

This is our future, and God help us!



What the film does NOT do is encourage the youth to progress on from this worthlessness. Yes yes sometimes I thought the film was self obsessed in itself, It doesn't answer any questions, thus it FAILS"