lebigmac1-1 Review of Kidulthood

Kidulthood (2006)

Fairly realistic, if sometimes exaggerated, portrayal of life for London teens

[6/10 · 21 August 2006]

To some people Kidulthood may appear to be quite a far-fetched story with regard to how some of the youth, especially the children from working class families, may treat life and indeed how life treats them in the London of today. But on closer inspection I feel that the IMDb rating for this film does not quite reflect it's achievements. Although I can see why certain individuals might not like the film or some of the characters in it, I have to say that a lot of it rings true. The way the characters spoke to each other was spot-on, as were most of the locations. Just stand on any London High Street or sit on the back of any London bus and you will hear for yourself that the English being spoke amongst the kids today is almost indecipherable. The acting was fine by most of the cast, including the newcomers. I think Noel Clarke (who also wrote) was particularly convincing as the bully, Sam. The violence was realistic, particularly the final scene. Baseball bats are far more accessible than the gun (believe it or not, most National newspapers would have you believe otherwise, I know!) and this gave the film a more realistic feel. If I have any real criticism of the movie it would be that I feel they could have made it more believable by setting it over a longer period of time, a weekend perhaps would have done it more justice than just a single day. On the whole definitely worth a watch.