Kidulthood
Encyclopedia
Kidulthood is a 2006 British drama film
about the life of several teenagers in Ladbroke Grove
and Latimer Road area of inner west London. It was directed by Menhaj Huda
and written by Noel Clarke
, who also stars in the film and directed the sequel
, Adulthood
. The characters in the film generally behave in a violent, lawless manner and are reckless and antisocial, with petty theft, serious violence, and drug taking endemic in the culture portrayed.
), and Alisa (Red Madrell
) who is pregnant
by him. Other characters are less developed.
The school bully
, Sam Peel (Noel Clarke
), is the main antagonist
. Another student, Katie (Rebecca Martin), is being physically and emotionally bullied by a group of girls led by Shaneek (Stephanie Di Rubbo), and is separately threatened by Sam. Her parents do not know the extent of the bullying. After being picked up from school, a distraught Katie flees to her bedroom, writes a note, and hangs herself
. The students are then given a day off for mourning
, but instead prepare for a party. Trevor, Jay (Adam Deacon
), and Moony (Femi Oyeniran
) spend the day stealing, trying to talk to women, drinking alcohol
, and smoking cannabis
. Alisa and her friend Becky (Jamie Winstone
) decide to get drunk and high before the party, despite Alisa's pregnancy. Alisa has recently discovered that she is pregnant and she is unsure as to how to cope with the news. Becky takes Alisa to an older man's house where they perform sexual acts in return for drugs. Becky is the instigator and Alisa feels that she has to follow her friend's actions. Meanwhile, the boys trick their way into Sam's house in order to retrieve a Gameboy he had stolen earlier, but then also steal drugs. When Sam returns and threatens them, the boys overpower him, beat him, and escape followed by Sam's girlfriend, Claire (Madeleine Fairley), whom Jay had seduced. In the process, they knock Sam's mother to the floor, which is later used as a pretext for revenge by Sam.
Alisa and Becky arrive at a shopping centre, having sold their drugs to buy new dresses. They meet up with Moony and Jay; Jay tells Alisa that Trevor doesn't want her or the baby, and that she should get out of Trevor's life. Alisa decides to return home alone as Becky wants to stay with the boys. In the meantime, Trevor has gone to meet up with his Uncle Curtis (Cornell John). He sees Katie's brother, Lenny (Rafe Spall
) at Curtis's house, but they do not speak. Trevor tells Curtis that he wants to work for him, and then issues him with a revolver
, which Trevor had previously made by drilling the barrel of a starting pistol on a pillar drill at school. Trevor then is taken downstairs to a man, Andreas, seen earlier getting drugs from Curtis and has now been tied up and tortured for failing to stick to an agreement about payment. Curtis orders Trevor to cut the man's face with a Stanley knife. Trevor carries out the order, but then flees from the house, throws the gun into the river and goes to find Alisa. Alisa is on her way home when she sees a classmate, who persuades her to come to a party with him to cheer her up.
Trevor arrives at the party, finds Alisa, and confesses he loves her. Alisa tells him that she never slept with Sam, and that the baby definitely belongs to Trevor. Sam later arrives at the party and beats Trevor up with a baseball bat
. Alisa runs into the house to get Mooney and Jay. In the ensuing fight, Trevor falls to the ground, critically injured. Katie's older brother arrives, carrying a gun and asking for Sam. He is about to execute Sam but stops momentarily, when Trevor says that Sam isn't worth it. Lenny begins to walk away but Sam insults him so he turns and fires, but the gun explodes in his hand. He gets back in to his car and drives away. Trevor dies before the ambulance and police arrive.
is between Ladbroke Grove
and Royal Oak
stations.
, Adulthood
, was released in June 2008, which was written and also directed by Noel Clarke.
, Miranda Sawyer
called the film "a rollicking UK youth ride, cinematically filmed, persuasively acted and bumped along by a fantastic all-British soundtrack... It's also very funny, laced with a humour of the slapped-in-the-face-with-a-kipper sort: you can't help laughing because it's so outrageous". Stephen Armstrong in The Times
, however, said "the only people who should be shocked by this film are people who have never been teenagers. What Kidulthood does is take all the violence, sex and intoxication experienced in a teenage year and condense it into a single day, because that's far more marketable than a film about eight kids spending four hours sitting on the swings wondering what to do". The Daily Mirror described it as being "as potent as a shot of vodka before breakfast – a harrowing, uncompromisingly bleak but thoughtful look at the anguish of being young and poor in Britain".
Drama film
A drama film is a film genre that depends mostly on in-depth development of realistic characters dealing with emotional themes. Dramatic themes such as alcoholism, drug addiction, infidelity, moral dilemmas, racial prejudice, religious intolerance, poverty, class divisions, violence against women...
about the life of several teenagers in Ladbroke Grove
Ladbroke Grove
Ladbroke Grove is a road in west London, in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. It is also sometimes the name given informally to the immediate area surrounding the road. Running from Notting Hill in the south to Kensal Green in the north, it is located in North Kensington and straddles...
and Latimer Road area of inner west London. It was directed by Menhaj Huda
Menhaj Huda
Menhaj Huda is a British film and television director and producer of Bangladeshi descent.-Movie career:His first directing job was the 1993 television series Hypnosis...
and written by Noel Clarke
Noel Clarke
Noel Anthony Clarke is an English actor, director and screenwriter from London. He is best known for playing Wyman Norris in Auf Wiedersehen, Pet and Mickey Smith in Doctor Who...
, who also stars in the film and directed the sequel
Sequel
A sequel is a narrative, documental, or other work of literature, film, theatre, or music that continues the story of or expands upon issues presented in some previous work...
, Adulthood
Adulthood (film)
Adulthood is a 2008 British drama film. It was directed and written by Noel Clarke, who also stars as the protagonist, Sam Peel...
. The characters in the film generally behave in a violent, lawless manner and are reckless and antisocial, with petty theft, serious violence, and drug taking endemic in the culture portrayed.
Plot
The film follows two days in the lives of a group of 15-year olds from a mixed-income area of West London. The story focuses mainly upon Trevor, known as "Trife" (Aml AmeenAml Ameen
Aml Eysan Ameen is an English actor best known for his roles as Trife in Kidulthood, Lewis Hardy in The Bill and Malcolm in Harry's Law.-Biography:...
), and Alisa (Red Madrell
Red Madrell
Red Madrell is a British actress who is best known for her role as Alisa in the 2006 British film Kidulthood, as well as Adulthood which was released June 2008...
) who is pregnant
Teenage pregnancy
Teenage pregnancy is a pregnancy of a female under the age of 20 when the pregnancy ends. It generally refers to a female who is unmarried and usually refers to an unplanned pregnancy...
by him. Other characters are less developed.
The school bully
Bully
Bullying is a form of aggressive behavior manifested by the use of force or coercion to affect others, particularly when the behavior is habitual and involves an imbalance of power...
, Sam Peel (Noel Clarke
Noel Clarke
Noel Anthony Clarke is an English actor, director and screenwriter from London. He is best known for playing Wyman Norris in Auf Wiedersehen, Pet and Mickey Smith in Doctor Who...
), is the main antagonist
Antagonist
An antagonist is a character, group of characters, or institution, that represents the opposition against which the protagonist must contend...
. Another student, Katie (Rebecca Martin), is being physically and emotionally bullied by a group of girls led by Shaneek (Stephanie Di Rubbo), and is separately threatened by Sam. Her parents do not know the extent of the bullying. After being picked up from school, a distraught Katie flees to her bedroom, writes a note, and hangs herself
Hanging
Hanging is the lethal suspension of a person by a ligature. The Oxford English Dictionary states that hanging in this sense is "specifically to put to death by suspension by the neck", though it formerly also referred to crucifixion and death by impalement in which the body would remain...
. The students are then given a day off for mourning
Mourning
Mourning is, in the simplest sense, synonymous with grief over the death of someone. The word is also used to describe a cultural complex of behaviours in which the bereaved participate or are expected to participate...
, but instead prepare for a party. Trevor, Jay (Adam Deacon
Adam Deacon
Adam Deacon is a British actor and rapper from Hackney, North-East London who rose to prominence after starring in the film Kidulthood as well as the sequel Adulthood...
), and Moony (Femi Oyeniran
Femi Oyeniran
Oluwafemi Oyeniran is a British actor and grime artist, notable for his role as "Moony" in the 2006 film Kidulthood and its 2008 sequel Adulthood.-Career:...
) spend the day stealing, trying to talk to women, drinking alcohol
Alcohol
In chemistry, an alcohol is an organic compound in which the hydroxy functional group is bound to a carbon atom. In particular, this carbon center should be saturated, having single bonds to three other atoms....
, and smoking cannabis
Cannabis (drug)
Cannabis, also known as marijuana among many other names, refers to any number of preparations of the Cannabis plant intended for use as a psychoactive drug or for medicinal purposes. The English term marijuana comes from the Mexican Spanish word marihuana...
. Alisa and her friend Becky (Jamie Winstone
Jamie Winstone
Jaime Margaret Winstone is an English actress, known for playing Becky in the film Kidulthood, and playing Kelly in the E4 horror series Dead Set.-Early life:...
) decide to get drunk and high before the party, despite Alisa's pregnancy. Alisa has recently discovered that she is pregnant and she is unsure as to how to cope with the news. Becky takes Alisa to an older man's house where they perform sexual acts in return for drugs. Becky is the instigator and Alisa feels that she has to follow her friend's actions. Meanwhile, the boys trick their way into Sam's house in order to retrieve a Gameboy he had stolen earlier, but then also steal drugs. When Sam returns and threatens them, the boys overpower him, beat him, and escape followed by Sam's girlfriend, Claire (Madeleine Fairley), whom Jay had seduced. In the process, they knock Sam's mother to the floor, which is later used as a pretext for revenge by Sam.
Alisa and Becky arrive at a shopping centre, having sold their drugs to buy new dresses. They meet up with Moony and Jay; Jay tells Alisa that Trevor doesn't want her or the baby, and that she should get out of Trevor's life. Alisa decides to return home alone as Becky wants to stay with the boys. In the meantime, Trevor has gone to meet up with his Uncle Curtis (Cornell John). He sees Katie's brother, Lenny (Rafe Spall
Rafe Spall
Rafe Joseph Spall is an English actor. He is best known for his roles in the Edgar Wright films Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz , alongside Simon Pegg and Nick Frost. He had previously appeared alongside Pegg and Frost in a 2001 episode of Spaced...
) at Curtis's house, but they do not speak. Trevor tells Curtis that he wants to work for him, and then issues him with a revolver
Revolver
A revolver is a repeating firearm that has a cylinder containing multiple chambers and at least one barrel for firing. The first revolver ever made was built by Elisha Collier in 1818. The percussion cap revolver was invented by Samuel Colt in 1836. This weapon became known as the Colt Paterson...
, which Trevor had previously made by drilling the barrel of a starting pistol on a pillar drill at school. Trevor then is taken downstairs to a man, Andreas, seen earlier getting drugs from Curtis and has now been tied up and tortured for failing to stick to an agreement about payment. Curtis orders Trevor to cut the man's face with a Stanley knife. Trevor carries out the order, but then flees from the house, throws the gun into the river and goes to find Alisa. Alisa is on her way home when she sees a classmate, who persuades her to come to a party with him to cheer her up.
Trevor arrives at the party, finds Alisa, and confesses he loves her. Alisa tells him that she never slept with Sam, and that the baby definitely belongs to Trevor. Sam later arrives at the party and beats Trevor up with a baseball bat
Baseball bat
A baseball bat is a smooth wooden or metal club used in the game of baseball to hit the ball after the ball is thrown by the pitcher. It is no more than 2.75 inches in diameter at the thickest part and no more than 42 inches in length. It typically weighs no more than 33 ounces , but it...
. Alisa runs into the house to get Mooney and Jay. In the ensuing fight, Trevor falls to the ground, critically injured. Katie's older brother arrives, carrying a gun and asking for Sam. He is about to execute Sam but stops momentarily, when Trevor says that Sam isn't worth it. Lenny begins to walk away but Sam insults him so he turns and fires, but the gun explodes in his hand. He gets back in to his car and drives away. Trevor dies before the ambulance and police arrive.
Cast
- Aml AmeenAml AmeenAml Eysan Ameen is an English actor best known for his roles as Trife in Kidulthood, Lewis Hardy in The Bill and Malcolm in Harry's Law.-Biography:...
as Trevor / 'Trife' - Red MadrellRed MadrellRed Madrell is a British actress who is best known for her role as Alisa in the 2006 British film Kidulthood, as well as Adulthood which was released June 2008...
as Alisa - Adam DeaconAdam DeaconAdam Deacon is a British actor and rapper from Hackney, North-East London who rose to prominence after starring in the film Kidulthood as well as the sequel Adulthood...
as Jay - Noel ClarkeNoel ClarkeNoel Anthony Clarke is an English actor, director and screenwriter from London. He is best known for playing Wyman Norris in Auf Wiedersehen, Pet and Mickey Smith in Doctor Who...
as Sam - Jaime Winstone as Becky
- Femi OyeniranFemi OyeniranOluwafemi Oyeniran is a British actor and grime artist, notable for his role as "Moony" in the 2006 film Kidulthood and its 2008 sequel Adulthood.-Career:...
as Moony - Madeleine Fairley as Claire
- Cornell John as Curtis
- Rafe SpallRafe SpallRafe Joseph Spall is an English actor. He is best known for his roles in the Edgar Wright films Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz , alongside Simon Pegg and Nick Frost. He had previously appeared alongside Pegg and Frost in a 2001 episode of Spaced...
as Lenny - Nicholas HoultNicholas HoultNicholas Caradoc Hoult is an English actor, best known for playing Marcus Brewer in the 2002 film About a Boy, Tony Stonem in the E4, BAFTA-winning television series Skins, and Beast in the X-Men prequel, X-Men: First Class.-Early life:Hoult was born in Wokingham, Berkshire, the third of four...
as Blake - Rebecca Martin as Katie
- James Witherspoon as Kilpo
- Ortis DeleyOrtis DeleyOrtis Deley is a British television presenter, radio DJ and actor of Ghanaian/Nigerian descent. He went to Ernest Bevin College in Tooting Bec, London. He is currently one of the presenters of The Gadget Show and presenter of Choice FM on Sunday mornings....
as Derek, Moony's brother - Stephanie Di Rubbo as Shaneek
Production
According to the director, Kidulthood cost £600,000 to make. London hip-hop group Arkane wrote the title track for the film. The film was principally shot in the actual areas in which it is set around London W11; for example, Alisa and Becky's journey on the London UndergroundLondon Underground
The London Underground is a rapid transit system serving a large part of Greater London and some parts of Buckinghamshire, Hertfordshire and Essex in England...
is between Ladbroke Grove
Ladbroke Grove tube station
Ladbroke Grove is a London Underground station on the Circle and Hammersmith & City lines, between Latimer Road and Westbourne Park stations, and in Travelcard Zone 2 set in The Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea ....
and Royal Oak
Royal Oak tube station
Royal Oak tube station is a station of the London Underground, on the Hammersmith & City and Circle lines, between and stations. The station is on Lord Hills Bridge and is in Travelcard Zone 2 for the London Underground. Although not heavily used at other times, the station is extremely busy...
stations.
Sequel
The sequelSequel
A sequel is a narrative, documental, or other work of literature, film, theatre, or music that continues the story of or expands upon issues presented in some previous work...
, Adulthood
Adulthood (film)
Adulthood is a 2008 British drama film. It was directed and written by Noel Clarke, who also stars as the protagonist, Sam Peel...
, was released in June 2008, which was written and also directed by Noel Clarke.
Critical reaction
Kidulthood has received a generally positive critical response. Writing in The GuardianThe Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
, Miranda Sawyer
Miranda Sawyer
Miranda Sawyer is an English journalist and broadcaster.She grew up in Wilmslow, Cheshire with her brother Toby, who is an actor. She has a degree in Jurisprudence from Pembroke College, Oxford...
called the film "a rollicking UK youth ride, cinematically filmed, persuasively acted and bumped along by a fantastic all-British soundtrack... It's also very funny, laced with a humour of the slapped-in-the-face-with-a-kipper sort: you can't help laughing because it's so outrageous". Stephen Armstrong in The Times
The Times
The Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register . The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary since 1981 of News International...
, however, said "the only people who should be shocked by this film are people who have never been teenagers. What Kidulthood does is take all the violence, sex and intoxication experienced in a teenage year and condense it into a single day, because that's far more marketable than a film about eight kids spending four hours sitting on the swings wondering what to do". The Daily Mirror described it as being "as potent as a shot of vodka before breakfast – a harrowing, uncompromisingly bleak but thoughtful look at the anguish of being young and poor in Britain".