Kidulthood (2006)

A day in the life of a group of troubled 15-year-olds growing up in west London.

Director:

Menhaj Huda

Writer:

Noel Clarke

Stars:

Aml Ameen, Red Madrell, Noel Clarke

2 wins & 1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Aml Ameen	...	Trife
Red Madrell	...	Alisa
Noel Clarke	...	Sam
Adam Deacon	...	Jay
Jaime Winstone	...	Becky
Femi Oyeniran	...	Moony
Madeleine Fairley	...	Claire
Rebecca Martin	...	Katie
Nicholas Hoult	...	Blake
Adem Bayram	...	Vinnie
Stephanie Di Rubbo	...	Shaneek (as Stefanie Di Rubbo)
Obah Ugwunwa Ajike	...	Carleen (as Kate-Line Okoro)
Medhavi Patel	...	Sophie
Ben McKay	...	Rapper
Cornell John	...	Uncle Curtis

Storyline

A day in the life of a group of troubled 15-year-olds growing up in west London.

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Plot Keywords:

growing up | murder of a child | child uses a gun | child murders a child | showdown | 

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Taglines:

Before adulthood comes...

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Genres:

Crime | Drama | Romance

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for pervasive language, violent content, sexual material, drug and alcohol use - all involving teens

Details

Official Sites:

Official site [UK]

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

3 March 2006 (UK)

Also Known As:

Streets of London - Kidulthood

Filming Locations:

Twyford CofE High School, Acton, London, England, UK

Box Office

Budget:

£600,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

£100,056 (UK) (3 March 2006)

Gross:

£100,056 (UK) (3 March 2006)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Stealth Films, Cipher Films, TMC Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

89 min

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

When Trife and Jay are playing on the PlayStation, a collection of WWE Wrestlemania DVDs can be seen on his shelf.

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Quotes

Trife: [to Alisa] I've seen some shit today... that made me think about life. And you're the best thing in mine.

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Connections

Referenced in Bad Education: Sex Education (2012)

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Soundtracks

All Things to All Men
Performed by The Cinematic Orchestra featuring Roots Manuva

User Reviews

Well-made and intriguing but a rather downbeat film

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. ****